Perhaps Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was not a hero, may even be a villain to many. But he was a remarkable political figure, one whose pages on Somali history is assured, for good as well as for bad, for now
A considerate History would judge Yusuf by his intentions rather than his achievements. A vindictive history would disregard his efforts and intentions, instead zooming on the dismal political results he left behind.
But if intentions are to count, which they must in the tempestuous contemporary politics of Somalia, this is a man who had taken the lead before anyone in trying to free Somalia from dictatorship, in resisting political Islam from taking roots, and in pursuing the dream of reviving a unified and strong Somalia State. If the result was bad, it is unfair to put all the blame on him. There were too many actors, too many issues, too many milieus that diminished his individual relevance in the goings of Somalia. He surely could not have lifted Somalia up alone, or taken it down alone. A fair judgment is that he tried to do what he could do for his country – sometimes the right things, many times the wrong way.
His worst political decision, allegedly, was to sleep with Ethiopia. Yet, the man did not always did their bidding and those who scrutinize his engagement with Ethiopia with an eagle eye would realize that Ethiopia was always a player in the Somali political equation since 1990, and therefore can argue that all he tried was to manage this interference, debatably for Somalia’s advantage. There is one fact that even his detractors cannot hide. This was the only Somali politician who the Ethiopians did not dare to push around as they wanted. He was stubborn and proud, traits that Ethiopian rulers do not find attractive in a Somali. It is this unease about his refusal to play to the tunes of Ethiopia that finally sealed his political career. Even on this issue, it is hard to disagree with the logic of his political decision, of course with the benefit of hindsight. The Ethiopian intervention we resented in 2006, today many, including Sheikh Sharif, accept it as an inescapable regional reality. Today, we know no one poses more fatal threat to Somalia than its bearded sons and camouflaged sisters. He foresaw this threat, decades back! He fought extremism and politicization of religion fearlessly. Few men could have assembled the resolve and valour he demonstrated in tackling the evil of terrorism and extremism. He risked losing limbs and legs to stand up to what he believed in, and stood up to bullying political Islamists where others have waivered. With what become of Somalia’s Islamists, few today disagree with his verdict on them.
After he left politics, he followed Somalia’s politics from afar with remarkable grace and with dignity that befits a former Head of State. He did not whine or curse his political foes, something that usually typifies retirement politics in Somalia
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