Defending the Nation Against Terrorist Organization

By Ejara Amante

Islamic militant groups, inspired by the ideas and examples of the Muslim Brotherhood, began to emerge in Somalia in the 1960s and represented a growing trend of religious activism that became to be a target of savage repression during the regime of Siad Barre.  It is to be recalled that the regime of Siad Barre was against these movements and was taking stiff measures against them.  Today, after the fall of Siad Barre and the creation of a governance vacuum in Somalia and when the clan system has demonstrated its full potential for division and warfare, the appeal of Islam as a unifying of force all Somalis has probably tended to gather momentum.

In the absence of any substance of a national government, religious groups, while remaining localized, have had the opportunity to play a more active political and administrative role; or in so far as they provide an alternative vision of Somali society based on religious affiliation rather than clan loyalty, they pose an implicit challenge to clan leaders.  However, the latter recognize the relevance of Islam as an important feature of the Somali society and governance and seek to assert their Islamic credentials when it suits them.

In Somalia, there are a number of centers where the influence of Islamic leaders is strong.  They are spread across the country, have their own local character and are not associated with any particular clan.

The known centers in the north are Burao, and Las Qoreh, with other centers close to Borama, Las Anod, Gedo region and Bosasso.  Although links between the North and wealthy sheiks in the Gulf states are closer than those with the South, there are several Islamic groups operating in Mogadishu and further important centers of influence are Merca and the region of Gedo. In Kismayo, and further to 'Ras Kamboni" the influence of religious groups is getting stronger from time to time.  Specially the recent expansionary moves by the Mogadishu Joint Islamic Courts to control the fertile areas in the Lower Shebelle region and their determination to increase their political and economic influence in the South will definitely allow the influence of Islamic movements to grow and extend further a field.

There are a number of Islamic groups/organizations operating in Somalia.  These include Al-Majma Al-Islam in Mogadishu, which came into being after Siad Barre's departure in 1991 and has a constituent support base in several Imams that are in charge of Mosques in Mogadishu.  Adherents of al-Majma are included in the leadership of the clan factions.

Another group is Al-Sunna Wa Al-Jamaa (the people of the prophetic tradition and Muslim Community) which was formed in March 1992 and is an expression of traditional Somali Islam, bringing together notables of the Qadiriyaa and Ahmadiyaa tariqas. The third organization is Ansar Al-Sunna which operates in Mogadishu and is associated with Wahabi Islam.  Its goals seem to be more religious and social than overtly political.

The most important and by far the largest Islamic Organization, however, is Al-Ittihad Al-Islamia.  It was formed in 1983 following the merger of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya (Islamic Association, led by Sheikh Mohamed Eissa, and based in the South) and Wahdat Al-Shabab Al-Islam (unity of Islamic Youth), led by Sheikh Ali-Warsame based in the north.

The ideology of Al-Ittihad Al-Islamia movement is rooted in the puritan (Salafi) tradition of Islamic Fundamentalism.  According to Quranic interpretation Al-Ittihad means Islamic judgment.  The writer of this article could not comprehend how a terrorist group, whose aims and objectives are designed on  imposing its will on the people of Somalia and those of its neighbours through terror, takes this name. I think this clearly misleads various countries and their peoples who have the belief that assisting organizations, who bear names - "Islamic Judgment" like Al-Ittihad and  whose activities are quite contrary to their names would allow them to pursue the road to eternal life after death.

Al-Ittihad Al-Islamia differs from the other Islamic movements that are active in Somalia in having its own armed forces.  It shares with other Islamic movements a mixture of religious, political and social goals. It operates in many parts of the country.

At this juncture it is worth noting that Al-Ittihad, which is the largest of all Islamic movements in Somalia, is not as some mistakenly believe, a creation of the vacuum created after the downfall of the regime of Siad Barre in 1991.  It actually formed nearly a decade before the Barre crisis.  Of course the absence of law and order in that country has created a favourable atmosphere for all groups to actively engage in whatever activities they wish to, out of which Al-Ittihad accrued maximally.   Another important feature of this organization is that, unlike other Somali factions it is more or less free of clan affiliations.  It tends to be very decentralized but, for the purpose of having a strong grip, its regional or local group leaders are clan based.

The most important feature of the organization, however, is that it is an Islamic Fundamentalism Organization. This group has chosen Somalia due to the fact that Somalia lacks a central authority or national government.  The lack of agreement between the various factions in Somalia to bring peace and stability has indeed contributed to the strength of Al-Ittihad. At this point it would be quite helpful to see what the goals of this Organization wants to achieve in the Horn of Africa.

Most of the Islamic organizations in Somalia are engaged in Social rehabilitation efforts except Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiyaa which, as stated earlier, has its own armed forces and exercises administrative control over some places in the country and its activities go beyond a mere rehabilitation and humanitarian assistance and far more than social activities.

As a fundamentalist and extremist organization, Al-Ittihad aims to form a strong Islamic state in the Horn states (Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia. In order to achieve this objective, Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiyaa started its political activities on the basis of 'Greater Somali Nation' agenda.  The political activity of Al-Ittihad is, in fact, part and parcel of the overall activities of international terrorist movements. Al-Ittihad is a multi-national force whose political ambitions transcend the borders of the internationally recognized territory of the state of Somalia.  This was confirmed by documents captured from the militants operating in various parts of Somalia.   Unless and otherwise it is ultimately sure of achieving this objective of 'strong Islamic state in the Horn of Africa', Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiyaa will never allow the establishment of law and order in Somalia through a national reconciliation process.  It would, then, always be a stumbling block to the peace and national reconciliation efforts thrusting at establishing some sort of central authority in collaboration with other self-centered warlords who, for that reason, have failed to feel the pains and suffering of the Somali people.

The funds it raises locally or outside Somalia partially go into social services, schools and Sharia courts while the larger part of it goes to weaponry. In a few places and brief periods, Al-Ittihad succeeded in establishing direct control over towns and sea ports, though it suffered a set-back and humiliating defeat in 1996 when its forces were pushed out of the several towns of the Gedo region.  The group, more commonly, prefers to live within communities and keep low profile until conditions allow it to come at the forefront.  Amazingly, Al-Ittihad's approach appears to be more of a long term in nature, preferring to build a broader support and economic backing which now is openly seen in the booming of investments in telecommunications and money transfers (the existing banking system in Somalia) in all parts of Somalia that of an immediate lucrative. One should also be aware of the fact that some of the transactions of this extremist group have been handled by well known international NGO's that are actively engaged in humanitarian activities inside Somalia.

This international connection of Al-Ittihad was also confirmed by Osama Bin laden,  the world number one terrorist leader, in an interview he gave to the London - based, Arab newspaper, Al-Quds al - 'Arabi, indicating his actions in Somalia by saying "We used to hunt down them (the Americans) in the streets of Mogadishu ..." with his much boosted involvement in Somalia.

There were, of course, rumors going around regarding Osama Bin Laden's wish to look for a safe heaven in Somalia when the Afghan Talibans were pressurized by the Americans and other Governments not to allow him to operate from Afghanistan.  There were even reports linking him with the Pakistan's Military leader, General Musharaf, who once said that he wanted "to help solve the problem of fugitive Saudi terrorist suspect Osama Bin Laden and was "actively considering" a trip to discuss the issue with the radical Islamic regime that rules Afghanistan, where Bin Laden  lives. US authorities believe that the radical Saudi financier masterminded the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998 and those who participated in the activities of the bombing have started to reveal the involvement of their boss, Osama, in that horrendous act.

Some of the documents quoted in the January 23, 2000 edition of the New York Times reveal that Mr. Bin Laden's operatives brought Kalashnikov rifles, guns and bombs from their "Yemenite brothers", and carried out operations in Ethiopia, especially in its capital, Addis Ababa.  The documents appear to be the first in the criminal case in which the Government has tied Mr. Bin Laden's group to some unspecified violence in Ethiopia.  ...  The US Government also says it seized a receipt, dated July 24, 1998, just two weeks before the American Embassy bombings, that bore a reference to "getting the weapons from Somalia".  This writer really don't know how the US Government gauges this matter in relation to the continuation of the crisis in Somalia that appeared to have a regional discussion.

The Eritrean regime has involved itself in Somalia with the objective of opening another front against Ethiopia by directly assisting the faction of Hussein Aideed, the OLF and also Al-Ittihad and the radical ONLF faction whose aims hinge at destabilizing the whole Horn of Africa.  The Eritrean Government's ploy were openly alluded to by the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Dr. Susan Rice, in her report to the house Africa sub-committee on the "US policy option in the Horn of Africa", dated 26 May 1999, in which affirmed that" we are concerned by credible reports that Eritrea has delivered large qualities of weapons and munitions to self-proclaimed Somalia President Hussein Aideed for the use of a violent faction of the Oromo Liberation Front.  The terrorist Organization Al-Ittihad may also be an indirect recipient of these arms".

This exposes the objectives of the actions of the Eritrean regime contrary to Congressman Gilman's characterization of it as containing the spread of fundamentalism in the Horn of Africa. In fact the regime has proved its involvement in aiding and abetting the already complicated situation of Somalia by arming terrorist groups as worsening the fragile state of peace and stability.

The armed militia forces of these terrorist groups trained in Eritrea have continued their unholy alliance in their acts of killing people and workers of humanitarian organizations involved in relief activities to support the needy.  Recently ten heavily armed terrorists have attacked a vehicle of Doctors Without Borders in eastern Ethiopia, killing the Ethiopian driver and seriously injuring a foreign aid volunteer.  The third person in the vehicle received minor wounds in the attack.  Due to this crime against its staff members Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) has, in fact, suspended programs and as moved its staff from the nearby areas.

The Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders) programs include health care water supply and sanitation programs.  The group has also stopped its ongoing exploratory mission in Gedo where the team was doing nutritional and medical surveillance for a famine and measles alert.  The suspension of these programs whose aim was to at alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the population living in those areas would exacerbate the suffering and loss of lives.  This is unacceptable to the people.  The activities of these terrorists organized and backed by the regime in Asmara, in collaboration with international terrorist movements, should be condemned.  They should not be allowed to create havoc in the region and be a threat to regional peace, security and stability.   The Ethiopian peoples on their part are vigilant and stand on a high alert in order to defend their beloved country from this terrorist organization which has already made an unholy alliance with the Eritrean regime.