LinkIn line with its long-established tradition of sharing with its esteemed readers subject matters of historical, political and social significance as well as of particular public interest, WardheerNews is pleased to dust off a forgotten old proposal or treatise by Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Silanyo) - “A Proposal To The Somali National Movement On A Framework For A transitional Government In Somalia”, which was written in London in March 1991. Silanyo proffered this incisive proposal as a roadmap for a power-sharing formula between two of the victorious rebel movements that ousted the Somali government of late Mohamed Siad Barre – Somali National Movement (SNM) and United Somali Congress (USC).
Though in his carefully considered proposal, Silanyo consciously and selectively excludes certain rebel groups, such as SPM and SSDF, from partaking the deliberations of the proposed power sharing arrangement, his otherwise commonsensical propositions are far from parochial and, had it been permitted to see the light of the day, could have averted the cataclysm and mayhem which ensued after the collapse of Barre’s dictatorial regime. It may also have prevented the subsequent unilateral declaration of secession by the SNM.
Nevertheless, Silanyo’s well-nuanced proposal serves as a clear testimony to the fact that the SNM had no pre-planned, premeditated motive to dismember Somalia, but that hardliners within the SNM organized and commandeered a clan conference in Burao in May 1991, as an angry reaction to the provocative unilateral formation of an interim government in Mogadishu by USC on January 26, 1991.
Silanyo’s proposal, despite its inherent flaws, is a reflection of the squandered opportunities by the clan-based armed rebel movements that toppled Siad’s government, which were, on the whole, bereft of any discernible national vision, broadbased inclusiveness or political program.
In essence, Silanyo’s proposal speaks for itself. Enjoy!
