Mareeg.com- Since the fall of the bloody clannish dictatorship of Siad Barre in 1991, the Hawiye people have experienced profound challenges in trying to regain their independence, prosperity and unity in the face of internal, external and global challenges. These challenges stem from the endless conflict with the remnants of the Darood dictatorship and allied groups, the Ethiopian occupation forces, the belligerent global powers led by the US and EU along with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) backed warlords, the simultaneous infiltration of the AlQaeda inspired Al-Shabaab and its ideological cancer that enables the wholesale daily attacks against the Hawiye civilians, culture and traditions in Mogadishu. The current Farmaajo clique is just another example of the desperate attempts to revive the long-lost Darood dictatorship and corrupt aims of usurpation and manipulation of state power against Hawiye.
Despite the Hawiye economic prosperity and success in rebuilding Mogadishu, the Ceelasha Biyaha settlements and its environs, all of this does not compensate for the total lack of Hawiye political development and coherence for 30 years!
The recent catastrophic and senseless bloodbath in Guri’el town symbolizes everything wrong with Hawiye political development. Guri’el is an economic and strategic town located in Galmudug state. Guri’el was previously a rural village in 1960s forming part of the larger historic Balanbal District, divided between Marehan and Habr Gedir. The ongoing tribal conflict since 1980s between Marehan Darood and Habr Gedir in Balanbal District led to growth of Guri’el from a rual village to major urban population center in Central Somalia. Today, the majority of Guri’el district is populated by Hawiye, specifically Habr Gedir.
However, despite the fact that Guri’el is completely inhabited by Habr Gedir 100,000 civilians, majority of them women and children, were uprooted and brutally massacred over 4 days in October 2021 by a mercenary group of religious bandits calling themselves Suufi AWSJ militia. The ASWJ militia suddenly attacked Guri’el town claiming to be fighting Galmudug State and even AlShabaab terrorists. The first act upon attacking Guriel the ASWJ militia leader Sheekh Shaakir speaking to the BBC Somali Service thanked the support given by the Darood Puntland state, formerly Majeertinia leader Siciid Cabdullaahi Deni.
What is incredible is that the same ASWJ militia and its leaders Maaclin Maxamuud and Sheekh Shaakir are both from Habr Gedir.
The ASWJ militia had earlier merged with the Galmudug state in 2015. Galmudug itself is majority Hawiye along with minority Marehan and Dir clans. The current President of Galmudug Ahmed Kaariye Qoorqoor is himself a member of the Habr Gedir.
Therefore, why did AWSJ attack its own people and destroy its own town?
No one in Somalia knows the answer to why ASWJ attacked Guri’el. Even Sheekh Shakir and Maacaalin Mahmood do not know, are unable or unwilling to explain clearly why the ASWJ militia decided to kill their own clan’s women and children in Guri’el.
What was the goal and benefit of this brutal massacre in Guri’el?
Even in so called Somali tribal politics, the attack against Guri’el town makes no sense whatsoever. First, if Sheekh Shaakir and Macaalin Mahmood wanted political power in Galmudug, then they should deal with Ugaaska Beesha Cayr Ugaas Hasan Ugaas Maxamed for nominations to Galmudug parliament or Federal parliament. Second, if ASWJ militia leaders Sheekh Shaakir and Macaalin Mahmood wanted to fight Al Shabaab then they should join Galmudug army and attack Haradheere and Ceelbuur District controlled by AlShabaab.
However, ASWJ militia leaders by attacking their own people in Guri’el to put pressure on President Qoorqoor to give them political seats and money in Galmudug, have shown that there is a terrible psychological and social underdevelopment of Hawiye politics.
Galmudug and ASWJ History
Galmudug was formed along clan and tribal lines in 2015. The AWSJ militia ceased to exist when Galmudug political seats were divided along 11 clan and tribal lines. The ASWJ militia was made up of Habr Gedir , Marehan and Dir. With the clan sharing agreement in 2015 that created Galmudug state, the ASWJ dissolved along clan lines. Therefore, the takeover and attack against Guri’el Habr Gedir civilians makes no sense whatsoever in terms of either clan power sharing or even political conflict. Who is the ASWJ fighting but their own women and children?
How Abdi Qeybdiid Saved Guri’el from Self-Destruction!
Consequently, if it was not for the intervention of Elder Senator Abdi Hasan Awaale (Qeybdiid) the AWSJ militia would still be killing Habr Gedir civilians in Guri’el today.
The only Hawiye leader who was able to clearly explain and convince the ASWJ militia leaders that there is no point in massacring Guri’el for political power and money turned out to be Abdi Qeybdiid.
Where were the other Hawiye leaders such as former Presidents Abdi Qaasim Salaad Xasan ( whose mother and father were born near Guri’el), Shareef Sheikh Ahmed, Hassan Sheikh Mahmood? What happened to the so called opposition Council of President Candidates in Mogadishu? None of these so called political leaders could even go to Guri’el town to save their own women and children from dying under the hot sun and cold winds and bullets.
This tragic failure of Hawiye leadership in Somalia was recently made very clear to the world by Somaliland politician Faysal Cali Waraabe who observed that the people dying in Guriel where from the same Hawiye clan and that they were let down by their own so called Hawiye clan and tribal political leaders who did not even bother or care about what was happening them.
Fortunately, Senator Abdi Qeybdiid showed that at least one Hawiye in Somalia cared about the people of Guri’el to help make a ceasefire and end the useless war!
