The Somali government has suspended all flights to Kismayo in the period between September 23-26 in an executive order that requires all flights to reroute to Mogadishu. The declaration of Kismayo as a ‘no-flight zone’ coincides with the inauguration of Jubbaland’s president-elect Ahmed Mohamed Madobe slated for the 26th of September. The actions of the FGS under Faarmajo are punitive, perhaps, in his view and those within his secret service and political thinktank. However, this is not a clever political strategy, rather an incredible display of juvenile political theatrics. Already, these actions have attracted extremely harsh criticism and worse, have been viewed as both ethnic and lacking any meaning.
On Sunday the federal government blocked former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed from traveling to Kismayo to attend the inauguration. The move, an aggressive attempt by the FGS to block Madobe’s allies from attending the inauguration has been condemned by various regional states. Puntland expressed disdain in the FGS attempts to weaponize the Somali airspace at a time when the nation is seeking integration and cooperation from regional states for sustenance.
Somalia has been seeking to regain full control of its airspace from the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) and she is in the final stage, awaiting parliament to pass amendment of the Civil Aviation Act. This could quite easily be jeopardized seeing as the executive arm of the FGS has shown its recurrence in using what should be an independent arm to conducts its bidding especially against political rivals and entities of President Farmajo. Farmajo, who seeks hegemony and dictatorial powers in Somalia has been interfering with the activities of the independent regional states by using public entities to suppress dissenters and hindering democratic processes such as elections. The FGS evidently sought to interrupt the elections in Jubbaland back in August by using the no-fly to Kismayo and have seen rejected Madobe’s victory.
Weak Farmajo has consistently exhibited dictatorial tendencies that are quite ethnically based seeing as the no-fly order will affect Jubbaland civilians and business people that use Kismayo as a transit point for economic and social activities. There have been reported intelligence reports that indicate that Farmajo has lost his political clout to other leaders in his government including Prime Minister Ali Khaire. Therefore, Farmajo is seeking to establish supremacy to suppress political dissent, a sign of desperation and abrasion of political clout.
Farmajo’s pursuit for political wallop could quite obviously trigger cessation by the semi-autonomous regional states like Puntland, Somaliland, and Jubbaland who have de facto control over most aspects. States herein mentioned have established independent and fully functional governments that benefit their citizenry and are unwilling to relinquish their sovereignty to a dictatorial Federal government. In the event, the regional states pursue cessation, Somalia will plummet into the worst case of unrest seeing as the federal government is heavily reliant on the resources of the states including military and other security apparatus.
Somalia an already struggling nation will suffer great economic upheaval seeing as Kismayo which is bustling with economic activities, high-end hotels, and shops; a complete opposite of 2012 where the port city was overrun by al Shabaab terrorists. The constant interference by the FGS affects economic activities from local, regional and international entities that have improved the lives of people and creating sustainability across Jubbaland. It is important to note that Farmajo is evidently alienating Jubbaland civilians who are struggling to rebuild from the ruins of al Shabaab’s carnage. Residents of the state are evidentially going to suffer severe humanitarian crises either because they cannot travel to seek medical care, receive aid especially food and medicine of the reroute planes to Mogadishu.
The FGS has been struggling to integrate the regional states and moves that alienate and suppress political dissent are retrogressive to the process of creating a strong sovereign nation. As AMISOM plans to exit Somalia, Farmajo’s political clout is trivial compared to ensuring that all regional states cooperate to create a strong unified government that can face the challenges that come with a ‘new’ nation as well as fight al Shabaab and the Islamic State.
