English > Political Analysis

Somali Cause: the Impact of the Somali Diaspora

Thursday 6 December 2007

Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

Following the completion of the speeches given and the deliberations made within the context of the 2nd North American Somali Diaspora Conference, the Somali Cause was launched as an umbrella organization for the forthcoming great struggle for the liberation and the re-unification of Somalia. No less than eight (8) Somali organizations of the Diaspora contributed to the formation of the Somali Cause.

This is an augur event heralding a far better coordination of efforts and harmonization of approaches. The press release issued on this occasion bears witness to mature understanding of the importance of the present circumstances for Somalia’s future. It calls for both, an effort to transcend inherent difficulties and a commitment to rise awareness at a global level.

We believe the Somali Cause will play a key role in better illuminating all issues pertaining to Somalia in the years ahead, and we re-publish here the integral text of their Press Release which was issued two days ago in Washington DC.

Somali Cause - Press Release

2nd North American Somali Diaspora Conference

Raising awareness on the plight of the Somali people and solidifying the

efforts of North America Somali Diaspora Organizations

Washington DC — December 4, 2007: From November 30 to December 1,

2007 a major conference was convened in the Washington DC metro area. The

conference was attended by a large number of North American Somali

organizations and individuals. After intensive issue-oriented consultations and

debates, the attendees decided unanimously to urge all Somalis and the

international community to act on the following recommendations:

A. For Somalis:

1. Transcend tribal and regional divisions while embracing national identity

and unity as our guiding principles

2. Promote the principle of tolerance, fairness, and that injustice to one is

injustice to all

3. Play an active and a positive role in bringing lasting peace to our homeland

by joining forces with "Somali Cause"

4. Develop an all-inclusive, competence based system for post liberation

governance to avoid the return of war-lord-ism and chaos

5. Increase universal awareness on the plight of the Somali people brought

about by the occupation and tyranny

B. For the International Community, particularly the United Nations Security

Council, the United States Government, the European Union, the Arab League, the African Union, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference:

1. Demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Ethiopian troops

from Somalia

2. Compel the Ethiopian forces and the Somali Transitional Federal

Government (TFG) to immediately cease shelling civilian areas and to stop

denying food aid to the displaced people

3. Replace the Ethiopian troops with forces from Muslim & non-frontline

African states, equipped with a clear mandate

4. Provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the over one million

internally displaced people (IDP) in Somalia, especially in and around

Mogadishu

5. Demand the immediate halt of the rampant human rights abuses, the

closing of independent media, and the arrest of journalists

6. Facilitate an all inclusive reconciliation conference in a neutral and safe

environment

7. Respect the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia while

addressing the legitimate grievances of regions

8. Establish an international criminal court for Somalia to rigorously

investigate and prosecute war crimes and human rights violations that have

been committed by any party against the civilian population

9. Demand the immediate release of all political prisoners and victims of

widespread arbitrary detention

The main objective of the conference was to forge a united front to peacefully free Somalia from occupation and oppression, and to bring lasting freedom and

democracy to the Somali people. As a result, an impressive array of Somali

organizations and individuals joined forces and formed Somali Cause, a first of its kind of union of Somalis across tribal and regional affiliations.

Somali Cause was founded by the following organizations:

1. Alliance for Peace and Development (AFPD), Columbus, OH

2. Baltimore Somali Community, Baltimore, MD

3. Greater Boston Somali Community, Boston, MA

4. Somali American Peace Council (SAPC), Washington DC

5. Somali Canadian Diaspora Alliance (SCDA), Toronto, Canada

6. Somali Diaspora Network (SDN), Fairfax, VA

7. Somali Institute for Peace and Justice (SIPJ), Minneapolis, MN

8. United Somali Diaspora (USD), Minneapolis, MN

We invite and encourage all Somalis and people of conscience to join with us in