Exposed: Farmajo's flip-flopping views of Somalia's founding father

NAIROBI, Kenya - A recent address by outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on his Twitter account badly exposes his flip-flopping nature and inconsistencies about his views on founding President Aden Abdulle Osman, who laid the foundation of the Somali state in 1960.

President Aden Abdulle Osman, alias [Aden Adde], who Mogadishu Airport was named after, is considered as one of the nationalists who put national interests ahead of everything, winning the hearts of many Somalis across the world.

In the tweet that was followed by 61st independence celebrations in Somalia, Farmajo is heard showering the former leader with praises, arguing that he was a "patriot, a hardliner on SYL ideology who endeavored to strengthen the unity of the Somali people".

Somali Youth League [SYL] is a pre-independence political movement that shaped the country's politics, leading to independence achievement in 1960. Somalia was both a colony of the British [Somaliland] and Italians who occupied the south.

Before the country flipped to a military dictatorship under Siad Barre, the country was among the fasted developing nations in the world, with a strong military that was already helping other African countries gain independence.

However, Farmajo's assertions seem to be contrary to his academic thesis, which paints Aden Abdulle Osman and his team at independence as collaborators of the colonialists, who took advantage of the radical clans to amass wealth and other privileges.

"In the South, Italian clan found similar willingness to work with Majeerteen of Darood sub-clan and Mudulod, sub-clan of Hawiye. These two Southern clans helped Italians without reservation," he argues in his thesis which is now a public document.

"In return, the British and Italians enabled these clans to claim superiority over other clans in terms of wealth, scholarship of their children to abroad and future government influence," the thesis further reads.

Aden Adde was a member of Mudulod, a sub-clan of Hawiye, who collaborated with colonialists. His Prime Minister, Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke was from Majeerteen of Darhood clan, which also immensely benefited from the colonists.

"Naturally, when the Somali government was formed, parliamentary seats went to those clans that were loyal to colonial rulers as they were seen best suited for stability. Somalia's first President Aden Abdulle Osman is a classic example," the paper further reads.

Somalia celebrated 61st independence day on Friday but the country still struggles with political upheavals, inter-clan conflicts, hunger, poverty, and violent extremism. The Al-Shabaab still controls large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE