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SOMALIA: KISMAYO AT CROSSROADS June 13, 2005
<|hiraale.jpg|picture: courtesy of qaranpress.com|left|>Somalia's third largest which changed hands many times since 1991 is now heading a to new direction. Security is coming back to this coastal city, currently controlled by a loose coalition, Jubba Valley Alliance (JVA).
Unlike any other city in the south, the public was ordered to vacate all government owned buildings. The deadline is over and people are now being removed by force. It is also illegal to carry weapons in the city. This administration is distancing itself from the anarchy that plagued the rest of southern Somalia.
Kismayo’s current peace and governance initiative are the brainchild of Mr. Barre Adan Shire aka Barre Hiiraale. Mr. Shire received unprecedented popularity among city residents after he effectively built bridges among various feuding tribes and banned looting and intimidation by his armed militias. His new security drive is welcomed by almost everyone in the city.
He lost close friends and former allies when he told them he is not a typical warlord and he's determined to build civil regional administration. Even many armed men from his Marehan tribe left him for his stand on responsible governance. A former ally and a close tribesman, Adan jama Dhere is now collecting weapons and gathering tribal young men in an attempt to force Barre out of Kismayo. Mr. Dhere left Kismayo recently after clashes between his supporters and Barre’s.
Many Mogadishu warlords left Nairobi reconciliation conference after Abdulahi Yusuf was elected president and he selected Ali Mohamed Geddi as his prime minister. Those same men who left Nairobi in protest are now doing a remarkable security work in Mogadishu. They promised to dismantle over fifty extortion checkpoints in the capital, mostly operated by their militias. The rift between the new government and some Mogadishu warlords fuelled by the local media is growing each day.
Mr. Shire took another unprecedented stand on the new government. According to numerous interviews regarding his stand on the divided leaders, he is neither beating drums for nor condemning the government. He was quoted once as saying “I and Abdulahi Yussuf (the interim president) did not like each other in the past and our tribes have long standing unsolved issues. However, I promise to be one of the government's wings if it shows national leadership and works for public. If it tries to mislead us, I'll be one of the first leaders to oppose it.†Both sides are not happy with Barre's neutrality and are suspicious about his intentions. After all, the man controls Somalia's breadbasket region and cannot be discounted easily.
Many Mogadishu warlords supported Mr. Shire’s JVA faction for a long time and they will see him as traitor if he doesn’t join their side of the conflict. He’s also sworn member of the parliament and was named as one of the ministers in the new government.
Mr. shire's neutrality worked for him so far in this chaotic country where new alliances are forged and long standing ones are broken regularly. Somali politics is unpredictable and hard to forecast.