Deeq A. Posted December 16, 2020 Farmaajo is hopeless fantasist who would rather plunge the country into the depths of anarchy and civil war, than act in the national interest. Consider this: In Mogadishu alone, during the course of president Farmaajo’s term, there were (as at 30th of September, 2020) 663 terrorist attacks in which at least 3,106 people lost their lives and 3,454 seriously injured – 6,560 casualties in total. That is on average 149 people every month and 5 people coming to harm in Mogadishu every 24 hours. The human cost of this is as incalculable as it is truly dreadful too. At least 21,386 children were orphaned so far under Farmaajo. On average, 16 children become orphans in Mogadishu every 24 hours. That is 16 children who lose one or both parents in Mogadishu every day because of terrorist atrocities. For the past nine years, 80% of the deadliest terrorist attacks that happened in Mogadishu in one day, in which thousands were either killed or seriously wounded, happened under Farmaajo, making his presidency the bloodiest in recent Somali history. Half of all terrorist incidents and casualties that happened in Mogadishu for the past nine years took place under Farmaajo. By the time his term ends in February 2021, many more innocent Somalis, who are today carrying on with their daily lives, would have met with a violent death, and many thousands of children would have become orphans without a future. As the country’s president, Farmaajo’s indifference to the plight of his people is shocking, but of course unsurprising. He was away on foreign trips on 66 occasions, during which there were 5,208 casualties in Mogadishu alone. Put it another way, Farmaajo was going on foreign trips when Mogadishu was dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist atrocity and the dead bodies were still being recovered and buried. For a country’s leader, it is a level of indifference to atrocities that is beyond unconscionable. These dreadful atrocities are all happening in Mogadishu within a couple of square miles away from his presidential palace. If this is what is happening in Mogadishu, one can imagine how bad things are in the rest of the country. This is Farmaajo’s bloody legacy and the cost the people of Mogadishu, and indeed the country, are paying with their lives. Under Farmaajo’s presidency, thousands of families are left with unimaginable personal loss and trauma which will last a lifetime, and many more thousands of children are without a future. He cannot see the dreadful human cost of his failure What Farmaajo lacks in self-awareness, vision or leadership, he makes up for hopeless fantasy, incompetence and pusillanimity. For proof, look at what he is now doing. He presided over a city that is in turmoil and blockaded; thousands of families in mourning and without a future; a country deeply scarred by terrorism, split in half by political strive and economically ruined by systemic corruption. And yet, he dreams of securing four more years to help him plunge the country into the depth of anarchy and civil war proper. It is hard to imagine a worse president in a time of crisis who not only managed to reverse the fragile progress the country made before him, but also wants more chances to do more damage. It is extraordinary. It is time for a government of national unity President Farmaajo’s term is coming to a close and he has a few weeks left. As he lost the moral and political authority to lead the country a long time ago, and his options dwindle, he is beginning to flirt with what he thinks will help stay in power him: authoritarianism. It will not end well. The country is facing an existential threat, a runway terrorism problem, endemic corruption and material economic issues. The nightmarish prospect of another civil war, the chances of which are increasing by the hour, are all too real to ignore. It is time to recognise that this is no longer a debate about election modalities. It is about saving the country from the irreversible prospect of turmoil and civil war. It is unlikely Farmaajo will act in the national interest. He should not be allowed to hold the country, and the future of millions of Somalis, hostage. The consequences of the actions of a president who is divorced from reality and trying to draw strength from the threat of violence are foreseeable and indeed grave. It is time to think beyond Farmaajo and put the country’s national interest first. The Mogadishu Risk Report which analyses Farmaajo’s legacy during his term, and the atrocities happening in Mogadishu, can be downloaded here: https://b076fa56-a4c7-407d-8553-53df2c7c2d72.filesusr.com/ugd/d80f13_a718e97cc9324fde8dd330f9f227b44d.pdf Abdi Ali can be reached at abdirahman.ali3@gmail.com. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Caasimada Online. For publication please email your article caasimada@live.com. Thank You The post Farmaajo’s bloody legacy first appeared on Caasimada Online. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
