WDM EDITORIAL

When incompetence and corruption are orders of the day and the system is unable to effectively address and change course; when foreign agents, spies and extremists take advantage of the weakness of a falling regime; when foreign powers dictate their interests; when there is no strong opposition parties to expose and challenge the government of the day; when finger-pointing starts for failure and continuous political fiascos, and scandals by officials lose any meaning, these are the  sure signs that the regime is about to collapse – it may come in slow motion by its own inertia, but it will happen. Unfortunately, there is no apparent alternative when the system finally implodes. It happened in 1991 and it will again. It is now an objective historical process that no one can stop it. In the meantime, a great amount of damage has been done to Somali national interests, some irreversible.

Luckily, the federal system that Somalia had adopted after the Civil War to prevent city-state despotism is the only safety valve now to ensure total collapse of the Somali State doesn’t occur in the same way as in 1991. However, this collapse will occur mainly due to resistance to the federal system by the leaders of successive administrations of the  Somali federal government. This is the unintended consequence of their misguided vision in earnest search for central dictatorship, for federalism in Somalia is a de facto reality following the Civil War.

This time around, public accountability will happen after the ashes of Somalia’s central authority in Mogadishu. For sure, this imminent potential collapse of Somalia’s government will be different from the past in many ways. For one, there will be no hiding place anywhere in the world for looters of public wealth and those that have committed gross wrong-doing and state crimes. This time around, Somali communities are everywhere in the globe to chase criminals, on the top of expected  persecution by future emerging governments of the Somali State.

“It has come to our attention that the current Somali government delegation dispatched to Cairo and Addis Ababa lacks the necessary competencies to effectively represent Somalia’s interests.The team in Addis Ababa, in particular, is facing significant challenges. Notably, there is an absence of a legal team, and the members possess minimal diplomatic experience and negotiation skills. This situation has led to a detrimental impact on Somalia’s standing and negotiations in Ethiopia, where the host country appears to favor representatives from Somalia who lack the requisite capabilities.Moreover, it has been observed that two individuals identified as Ethiopian agents are leading the Somali delegation, further compromising Somalia’s position.It is imperative that Somalia reassess its delegation strategy and consider appointing individuals with proven diplomatic skills, effective negotiators, and a knowledgeable technical team to ensure Somalia’s interests are adequately represented.”