Is Mogadishu a capital city of unity or epicenter of all Somali problems? Before I answer this question, I would like to briefly highlight the historical background of Mogadishu, before and after the civil war.
Circa 1905, Italian administration has made Mogadishu the capital of its newly established colony. Officially, Mogadishu became the capital city of Somalia, on July 1st, 1960. It was the country’s largest city and its major commercial and financial hub. With no doubt, Mogadishu has always been a center of Somali unity, resources and prosperity. It was the only metropolitan city where economic and political power converged. Mogadishu has always been a symbol of Somali culture and history. Because of its beautiful beaches along the Indian Ocean, Mogadishu was known as “White pearl of the Indian Ocean”, while Somalis call ‘Xamar Caddey’. As Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu was once hailed as city of opportunity; it has attracted people from all walks of life, in particular Somali intellectuals, business communities, as well as those in search of a better life. Those of us who had the opportunity to live in Mogadishu before the civil war remember it as a lovely and vibrant city where every age group enjoys plenty of entertainments throughout the year that includes, but not limited to, live concerts at Somali National Theatre, several Movie Theatres, disco clubs, football and basketball tournaments, bars and restaurants along the beaches and so on. These are just a few traces of past glory in Mogadishu.
Following the collapse of the military regime, Mogadishu fell into the hands of several competing armed militias with no discipline of governance. For many years, they fought so many wars with no purpose. Nevertheless, no single militia group came out a winner to exert authority over the capital. As a result, this has caused a historical tragedy: almost all of Mogadishu’s cultural and historical landmarks have perished into the ground and are unrecognizable today. In particular, those inspired national pride like statues of Mohamed A. Hassan, Ahmed Gurey, Hawa Taako, Arco di Trionfo Popolare as well as structures of old Parliament building, the National Museum, core downtown business and government buildings, etc. have been demolished or destroyed considerably. Mogadishu has suffered irreparable physical damage to its image and infrastructure, and what’s left of the beautiful Mogadishu today is nothing but rubble.
During the same period, in the most heinous way, an intentional and indiscriminate killing of one million civilians was reported to have happened in Mogadishu. Few hundred thousands more were internally displaced by violence, while another several hundred thousands fled from Mogadishu and relocated to their clan strongholds. A gruesome violation of human rights has caused blood stains all over the walls of the city. According to UN agencies, up to 60% of Mogadishu’s residents have fled the city. Consequently, this has created a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Since then, Mogadishu has become a breeding ground for spoilers and troublemakers and has turned into a capital city of anti-government elements like warlords, anarchists and religious extremists. Although Al-Shabaab is hastily taking the credit, it’s a proven fact that some of the targeted assassinations are actually perpetrated by local militia. Still today, Mogadishu is known as the most dangerous city in the world.
It’s really very disturbing to learn that more than two-thirds of Somali Federal parliamentarians and high ranking officials are constantly facing fear, intimidations and extortions, and permanently restricted to reside in Mogadishu hotels. This is just absurd and unprecedented. Are they foreign tourists or Somali civil service workers? With no government protection, hotels became a soft target too. It’s a compelling fact that Mogadishu has turned into a slaughterhouse capital of Somali intellectuals as well as government officials. Day in and day out, we’re all witnessing that Mogadishu residents are being held hostage in their own capital city. They’re still having nightmares from the physical and psychological pain and suffering of the past. They’ve neither confronted nor will they ever recover from it. Therefore, it’s absolutely impossible that Somali Federal Government can operate in Mogadishu any longer.For the last 25 years, I have not seen one single initiative from Mogadishu’s current residents, local civil societies or any level of government proposing a reasonable action plan of facilitating Mogadishu exodus safe return to their homes. This evidence appears to imply a total negligence and indifference. This was a missed opportunity, indeed. I believe, this could be the main reason why the majority of Mogadishu’s original inhabitants hailing from other parts of Somalia are selling their properties. Due to personal grievances, some are still frightened to come back, while others were denied access to their homes. Due to these unremorseful and heartless situations, it’s very unlikely and truly intimidating for victims to come back and resettle in Mogadishu. Similarly, publicly owned assets and properties in Mogadishu are still occupied illegally by local militia. It’s unfortunate but good glory days in Mogadishu are gone forever. What a lost paradise that was!
Taking all these into consideration, I truly believe Mogadishu is not a city of unity anymore, as most Somalis cannot call it home. It has become the epicenter of all Somali problems. Therefore, changing the capital city is the first step of recovery and the only way forward of rebuilding trust and restoring Somali sovereignty. Ladies and gentlemen, Somalia could use a fresh start with a new capital city, which would steer away from bad memories of the civil war. Here are my recommendations:
1. The status of the capital city and its location must be discussed and agreed upon, and shall be determined in the constitution.
2. The new capital must be a city under which no clan or Federal Member State can claim its territory or resources.
3. Districts and municipalities under the capital city should be ruled by, and managed under the rule of a fair representation based on the number of regions in each Federal Member States.
4. Somali capital must be a city in which all Somali people can live, work and raise children. And above all, a place all Somalis can call home.
During thirty plus years of governance (1960-1990), all Somali resources, as well as capital flows were pouring into Mogadishu while neglecting other major cities in the country. Regardless of which capital city we choose today, it’s not acceptable concentrating all government services and national resources in one city anymore. Here are my recommendations:
1) To get a fair distribution of Federal government services, the three branches of government (Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary) must be seated in different cities of Federal Member States.
2) All Federal government services like Central Bank, Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Immigration must be relocated and distributed proportionally among different Federal Member States based on number of regions in each State.
3) The idea is to spread out the government services, resources, and benefits across several different cities and regions of the country so that if one or more is affected by, for any reason, we still have others functioning.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s seize this opportunity now, and avoid further fragmentation and conflict. Changing the course is the only way forward to save the country. I realize it requires a great deal of collaboration and cooperation among all of us. However, as we’re engaged in bigger and bolder challenges, we should look beyond clan sentiment and cult mentality, and focus only on saving the country with great pride and determination.
