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Name
Faiz
- Singapore
Profession
Question
How was the crisis there? How do the Somali and Ethiopian citizens generally view this situation? I hope the problem can be solved in a peaceful manner.
Answer
Really the political scene in Ethiopia and Somalia is explosive. Untill now the wise steps are missing, leaders in these two countries seem to be going to make the situation more tense. This could lead a drawback consequenses.
According to the peoples of these Countries, I would say they have nothing to do with what is going. Even, no one asked them about how they predicate their fate will be !
I believe that this problem could be solved in a peaceful manner but "who will listen to the wise words and to the peace initiatives?" This is the critical question.
Name
hafsa
-
Profession
Question
salam, Ethiopia declare war to Islamic court. Are the Islamic court ready to fight? is there any social assistant those who do not work or has no one outside the country?
Answer
For about two months Islamic Courts declared Jihad against Ethiopia who declared state of war against Islamic Courts.
Regardless who will win this war, I think it will have ravaging impacts on Somalia, Ethiopia, and the greater Horn of Africa region as a whole, economically and politically.
For the Islamic Courts, they declare their readiness to fight Ethiopian troops. Yes they are stronger than any political or military faction in Somalia, but I believe both sides are going to implement a deadly adventure if they insist on solving this dispute by war.
Name
.Ahmed
-
Profession
Question
Why the country is divided, I feel some other country getting benefits of this such as Ethiopia because it does not have any sea channel. But the problem the somalian themselves they don't realized this and they let the situation go worst by either not doing any thing or by helping , there enemies the Smugglers or the some fighters from earlier groups who only wanted lands and money.
Answer
At the time of political dissension, it so natural to have disputes between two or more contries in one regoin.
the realtion between Somalia and Ethiopia is the good example. These two countries rushed to weaken each other for a long time, and the Cold war fueld this stance making the region full of problems: wars, hunger, political instability, poor economy and very weak governing system.
In Somalia, the situation is worse. Why? There is no functional government from 1991 since the centeral government was toppled.
Somalis would like to see their strong government to be restored but the political leaders - and I am sorry to say that- only deal with their narrow interests which cannot step outside their tribal connections. All led to the choas that we are experiencing it nowdays.
Name
Ahmed.M
-
Profession
Question
Why are Somalia’s neighbors feeling uneasy when they (Somalis) found peace in Islam and not before when the warlord were terrorizing the poor civilians.
Answer
This questions is being asked by many Somalis since the Islamic Courts come to the power.
Not only Somalia's neighbors those who feel uneasy when Islamists came, but all of the interested countries in Somalia. This comes from the approach claiming that An Islamic state in Somalia will threaten not only the stability of the Horn of Africa, but the mere interest of the US and Westren contries in the East Africa and Middle East.
Name
Gamel
-
Profession
Question
Why the country is divided , i feel some other country getting benefits of this such as Ethiopia because it does not have any sea channel. But the problem the somalian themselves they don't realized this and they let the situation go worst by either not doing any thing or by helping , there enemies the Smugglers or the some fighters from earlier groups who only wanted lands and money.
Now when the Islamic court established by us and want make the union and get red of many thieves we find some obstacles such as the government not supporting the Islamic courts . We thought the government will make the job easier to give the chance for taking back our land and making central control but we found now the president himself is a problem. he support Ethiopia government against his people
Answer
Yes. Islamic Courts are established by Somalis, but it reflects a specific side of the society (the Islamist. Frankly, it is depicting a part of the islamists, not them all.
We all realized the big achievements they did in the last months, beside the stability they restored to more than half of Somali territories.
But the position of the interim government was a negative way. Instead of negotiateing with the Islamic courts , the government accused them that they are belong to Al Qaeda or the International terrorism networks.
For me, the Government did that to gain the support of US and many other countries those who are sceptical that Somalia is a save haven for terrorist fugitives.
In Addition to that Islamists everywhere nowdays became a headache that must be elliminated! Just go around to discover that im many countries in the Middle East or even in Europe
Name
Rasha
-
Profession
Question
Where is the way out?
How can Somalia's peace comes again?
what is the Somali people's role ?
Answer
Somalis have many options to end the chaos in their country for more than 15 years. If we got a serious political venture and open-minded political and religious leaders, if they could put aside the local interests to meet with the national and political aspiartions of Somali peopbe, at that time, we got the peace.
I think it will be the light in the end of the dark tunnel, we all need to turn a new leaf .
The role of socity groups is very critical in this point.I believe that somalis fell in a big mistake when they left the political future of their country only in the hands of the tribal based politicians who could not see beyond their feet and overloaded with their narrow interests.
Action is needed from the somali intelligent groups,the civil Society,the religious leaders, the clan elders etc.. and With the help of those all we can find our way out to a brighter future.
Name
Mailk
- Canada
Profession
Question
I am living in the west.. i do not follow properly what is on in the middle east, but recently i found out that your country's strugggle has some thing to share with the Labanese crisis that is now... the clashes between the govts and the parties?
So is there a common reason beyond such clashes? and why the main problem of the Middle east is the civil wars?! You guys suffered alot from the internal clashes and always divided among yourselves?!
Answer
As I mentioned before, the situation in Somalia is similar in many ways to those in Iraq and Lebanon.
The volatile political situation, functional disputes, and foreign intervention are enough for this tension.
Governments in this situation is weak normally because the other parties preserve their militaries, weapons and channels of support from abroad.
This means a continous tense between the govts and the parties and this will not end untill the prestige of the govts to be restored as the only ruler of the country, NO NEED FOR MORE RULERS
Name
Khaled
-
Profession
Question
How is the Somali journalism? and how you find your work as a journalist?
Answer
Like the other working groups in the country , journalists were the middle of this shifting sands.
In the early time of Somali crisis the role of Clan Media was very strong with its ugly tribal faces.
But when the situation calmed down and the clan fueds begun to cool down , a new page of professional journalism emerged.
Now more than 20 daily newspaperes thoughout the country is there , with more than 30 broadcast stations , nearly one hundred news websites, several TV stations etc
Journalists enjoying a relative freedom of expression. But there are also cases of abuses against them- some of them killed ,intimidated , looted , their equipments confiscated.
It could be very strange to conclude that neither Interim government nor the Islamic Courts have any kind of mass media , they are all owned by private sectors.
Name
Funshyboy
- Nigeria
Profession
Question
Dear brother Ali, what do you think is the reason why the US is showing interest in the Horn of Africa, and why now?
Answer
As we know United States intervened in Somalia affairs in 1993 under the Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, but this turned to a bloody fighting between US troops and Somali militias.
US army helicopters gunned down, more that 70 of them killed ,18 of them in one battle in Oct 1993 and their corpse was dragged in Mogadishu streets by angry mobs.
After the incidence US president Clinton pulled the American soldiers from Somalia and from that day America dealt with the situation in Somalia in very cold way ( wait and see)
But after 9/11/2001 America headeched by what is called terrorism declared that Somalia could be save haven for AL QAEDA leaders after Afghanistan, and where the Islamist emerged early this year America re-initiated its fears of terrorism in the horn of Africa and accused Islamic Courts they are harbouring Al Qaeda fugitives who were behhind bombing the Amercan Empasses in Nairobi and Darusalaam.
In the framework of countering terorism American put somalia its top agenda as a hot bed for jihadist whom America says they are agents of Al Qaeda in Horn of Afrika
Name
Host
-
Profession
Answer
Thank you for joining us today. We apologize for all the questions we couldn't answer due to time constraints.
You can read the first part of this live session by clicking here
