One preaches at mosque for his political shenanigans and the other intends to replicate to defend himself to hang on to power and rule over a helpless people surrounded and suffocated by Al-Shabab, and lacking any sort of life opportunities in his state. Each one is accusing the other of dubious crimes in absentia through kangaroo regional courts of justice lacking jurisdictions.

Historically, HSM is coming from the General Aydid clan ideology of USC and a membership of Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) as an advisor, which briefly ruled Mogadishu before being dislodged by the TFG in 2006. He was also an activist of HAG tribal grouping and member of Islamist movement, Al-Islah/Dambul-Jadid, at the same time.

AMI is a student of his father-in-law, Hassan Turki, a militant Ogaden leader of Salafi School whose operation base was Ras Cambooni during the reign of UIC. Ras Cambooni is now the launching Indian Ocean seaside spot for HSM’s military trenches to topple AMI.  AMI is a canning character of many faces and colours and a survivalist. He had reached the rank of AMIR (Al-Shabab Viceroy) before being wounded in Ras Cambooni bushes, caught prisoner, and transferred to Ethiopia in 2005. He was later released from Ethiopian captivity upon the request by former Islamist president of TFG, SSSA, who was the former Head of UIC before he was crowned Somali President in Djibouti in 2009 by Western countries using a UN-sponsored Somali Conference. He seized Kismayo during SSSA’S Presidency with the help of KDF. He has continually extended his iron-grip mandate ever since.

Both men took advantage of weak Somali public institutions, unable to vet such dubious personalities seeking public office, and by their clever use of all-powerful tribal cards to get elected. Somalis are again helpless to address the problems of these two men pose to the security and survival of this poor nation.

HSM: Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

AMI: Ahmed Mohamed Islam

USC: United Somali Congress

TFG: Transitional Federal Government of Somalia

HAG: Hawiye Action Group

SSSA: Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed

KDF: Kenyan Defence Forces