Somaliland: the Violent Militant, Khatumo’s “Press Release” Back Fires

Somaliland: the Violent Militant, Khatumo's "Press Release" Back Fires

Dalmar Kahin

Recently, Osman Hassan, a self-proclaimed "spokesman" (or a cyberspace militant) for the violent Khatumo militia, in the small village of Taleh, in Sool region, published an article, a bag of meaningless accusations, entitled, "Somaliland occupying militia gang-rape 13-year old girl in Sool". But do these accusations don't hold water and you will be surprised! As usual, Mr. Hassan's emotions precede his arguments. Moreover, almost the entire content of any of his articles is predictable. It is all about Somaliland this, Somaliland that; one-clan entity this, one-clan entity that...etc. (For reasons that even baffle my eighty-eight-year-old grandmother, Mr. Hassan has fetish for recycling the same stale, palpable propaganda.) Evidently, Mr. Hassan, you have problems with Somaliland and its quest for statehood, but what you lack is clear solution to your problems. You also lack the ability to convince your readers, both anti-Somaliland and pro-Somaliland, to support your argument. So you must resort to the blaming game. According to you, Mr. Hassan any incident that happens in Sool region, including earthquakes, must be blamed on Somaliland or as you like to put it, or in fact your articles clearly state, without reading between the lines: "The evil Iidoor clans". That is, any wrong doings by other clans in Somaliland is clearly swept under the carpet, and "The evil Iidoors" are to be blamed for everything. And this is exactly why your writing is self-defeating. It is too subjective and lacks pragmatic solution. Take as an example, your latest article entitled, "Somaliland occupying militia gang-rape 13-year old girl in Sool " You have accused the Somaliland army or as you would like to put it, the one-clan entity ("The evil Iidoors"), of gang raping and beheading a young girl, named Halimo Hussein Warsame; not to mention that, to stir emotions, you have equated this cruel act to the one that happened recently in India, where a young girl was brutally raped by ruthless gangs. Comparing the two crimes is perfectly fine, however; what you have conveniently chose to ignore is that the fact the killers don't belong to Somaliland army. Worse yet, the killers of Haliimo don't hail from "The evil Iidoor clans" but hail from none other than the clan of the victim, Haliimo. Yes, the killers and rapists of Haliimo are indeed from the Dhulbahante clans. The evidence comes from none other than your militant, "Khatumo". Just listen tothis audio clip aired by your faction's, "Khatumo" warlords in the area. (Orhttp://www.kalshaale.com/?page_id=6634 ) How shocking is it that the accuser and the debunker are members of the Khatumo faction. Clearly, the Khatumo faction talks out of both sides of its mouth. (Or is this just one occasion where you agree to disagree, respectfully?) The Khatumo warlord, Mohamed Duale, in the audio clip clearly states, "The killers of Haliimo belong to the Dhulbahante clans and they are members of Ciidan Beeleed (a clan militia) that are aligned with Somaliland". There are three indisputable facts: first. Ciidan Beeleed is not necessarily associated with Somaliland army. Nor do they take orders from the Somaliland army. It is the clan leaders that control the militia. Hence, that is why they are called: Ciidan Beeleed, and not Somaliland army. Second, the killers don't belong to "The Iidoor clans", despite the disinformation that Mr. Hassan would like to shove down your throats. Third, these clan militia are often on all sides of the fence, depending who is offering them the bigger paycheck. In fact, they could be on the Somaliland's, on the Khatumo militant's, and on the Puntland's payrolls, at the same time, milking all three sides. So, in reality, the perpetrators that brutally raped and beheaded Haliimo could have been members of the Khatumo faction that recently defected to Somaliland but still negotiating with Somaliland. Ironically, ignoring the reality on the ground and convoluting the real issue is often what makes the "Khatumo" faction the laughing stock of the century. (No wonder why your deceptive writings are only published on the clan-oriented sites, namely wardheernews.com—a site that readers will doubt if its proofreaders are alive!) Surely, the killers are members of "Ciidan Beeleed" who are either aligned with Somaliland's quest for independence, ideologically, or simply they are supporting Somaliland because they could not resist being on Somaliland army's payroll. Ciidan Beeleed as you know is a group of rag-tag militants that are not fully part of an army but could be integrate into the army in the near future, after of course they are trained and taught the army's code of ethics, where they are sworn to protect the public. A similar scenario happened few years ago in LasAnnod, the provincial capital of Sool region. A young mother, who just gave birth few days before she was attacked, was raped in the outskirt of LasAnnod. The clan Media from Sool jumped on the wagon, blaming the usual suspects: the Somaliland army and "The evil Iidoors". Luckily, it was the Somaliland army that apprehended the rapists and diffused the tension between the victim's clan and perpetrators'. As it turned out, however, the poor mother was raped by none other than her close clan members. (The evil Iidoors were off the hook! How disappointing!) She was Dhulbahante and so were her rapists. And they were not part of the Somaliland army either. The brutal truth is: if you want to play your Ace Card, the clan card, the killers and rapists of Haliimo are closer to you in terms of clan identity than they are affiliated to other people reading this article. Yet, everyone else is to be blamed except you. Does the Somali expression, "Hasha geela cunta ee hadana cabaada…or the female camel that bites other camels, yet it screams" ring a bell? Of course not! In a nutshell, not only are you politicizing an isolated incident or trying to ignite clan animosities between the brotherly people of Somaliland, but you are also spreading: FITNAH (an evil action). The murderers and rapists of Haliimo shocked the Somaliland people. We are all saddened by the senseless tragedy that struck her. But using this tragedy as a fuel to ignite an inferno in the region, while you reside in a comfortable home, in the heart of Europe, is not only selfish but is also cowardice. Doubtless, the Khatumo's campaign of terror in the region, attacking security forces and assassinating officials, is compelling many young men in Sool region to cling to their guns. Sadly, sometimes these gunmen spare no one. Disarmingthe last pocket of the Khatumo militant, peacefully, is the only hope for these gun-toting youth that took Halima's life and for the countless young girls that could fall prey to these gun men. As for your latest accusation: it is a real double-edged sword, isn't it? Dalmar Kaahin dalmar_k@yahoo.com "This is article is the opinion of the author and doesn't necessarily portray the view of Qarannews"