President Hassan must be forced to withdraw Somalia’s EAC membership application. It’s an attack on the country’s existence, sovereignty, language and religion.

By Abdibarre Yusuf Jibril
Jibril is a Mogadishu-based politician and former member of parliament

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in office for just a year, has committed many terrible policy blunders.

But nothing alarms me — and millions of Somalis — more than his decision to tender a request on behalf of Somalia for the membership of the East African Community, and his gush Friday about the adoption by the bloc’s heads of state of a report prepared on Somalia’s suitability.

President Hassan never ceases to amaze me with his unpatriotic policies and carelessness toward serious issues affecting the nation’s very existence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and future well-being.

How can a president who depends on foreign forces for his safety, can’t safely move around the capital or travel by car to areas outside Mogadishu and whose writ doesn’t reach across the country aspires to add Somalia — whose budget is a paltry US$973,985,805 — to a bloc of countries with functioning governments and institutions?

It defies logic.

If we, Somalis, don’t stop President Hassan’s reckless move now, we will regret our inaction for years to come.

In the not-too-distant future, a Ugandan or Congolese citizen could become the president of Somalia, as Somalia would be turned into a mere state in the united states of East African Community. Under the EAC’s envisioned political federation, Somalia would cease to exist as a country and could be ruled by a president sitting in Kampala or Kigali or Nairobi. Somalia, like other member states in the union, will only have a mere governor.

Time is of the essence.

According to a communique issued after an extra-ordinary summit in Bujumbura, Burundi, on May 31, the bloc’s heads of state have “directed the EA Secretariat and the Council to commence negotiations with the Federal Republic of Somalia with immediate effect and report to the next ordinary summit of the EAC heads of state,”

The real secret behind President Hassan’s application and the EAC’s enthusiasm to speed up the process of Somalia’s accession is immediately unclear, if disconcerting. But what’s clear is that for years there was sinister schemes by certain foreign countries to erode Somalia’s sovereignty and its Islamic identity.

If Somalia joins the bloc, it has to, perforce, accept the bloc’s constitution (called the Treaty) as it’s. It has to allow services and goods from other member countries into Somalia without imposing duties. Somalia will also have to accept citizens of the seven-member states of the community, who are more educated and with many other advantages, to freely move, work and reside in the country.

“Underlying the EAC Common Market are operational principles of the Community, namely: Non-discrimination of nationals of other Partner States on grounds of nationality; Equal treatment to nationals of other Partner States,” the EAC says on its website.

The EAC’s Vision 2050 calls for “liberalizing cross-border trade in agricultural produce and products between Partner States.” That means, goods from more stable and advanced countries can flood the Somali market and kill local farmers.

Somalis will always be in a disadvantage within the EAC. Their country has no capacity or means or proximity to export or import goods from the populous Democratic Republic of Congo, nor does it share borders with landlocked countries of Burundi, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.

Although South Sudan became a full member of EAC in 2016, it has little to show for its membership, as it’s still mired in internal conflict, which member states did little to resolve it.

Somalia’s border with Kenya are inhabited by poor fellow Somalis who were forcefully incorporated into Kenya by the British colonialists. The roads linking the main cities of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera to each other are dirt roads. Kenya’s successive governments officially and deliberately marginalized Somalis for being Somali.

It’s unlikely that Somali citizens will have an easy ride in Kenya, where Kenyans of Somali origin are already treated as second-class citizens. Conditions of Somalis in other countries, where they are frequently harassed, is unlikely to be any better in the near future, as their country is associated with al Shabab.

Within the EAC, countries jealously guard their interests, with each country frustrating others and giving priority to the development of its own products and industries. Political and trade disputes are common among member states. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are on war footing, with President Félix Tshisekedi, telling the Financial Times last year that the possibility of war “cannot be ruled out.”

While many Somalis are unaware of the repercussions of President Hassan’s move, the EAC officials were impatiently waiting for the day Somalia would join the bloc because Somalia, a nation endowed with enormous resources, will be a big feast for non-Somalis.

“Admission of Somalia into the EAC would be very important because whatever issues there could be in Somalia, maybe the Al-Shabaab or anything else, we are able to handle them within the framework of EAC. It becomes our responsibility,” said the EAC’s secretary general, Peter Mathuki, noting that “Already, we have our own men and women in uniform in Somali. Some from Burundi, Kenya and others from Uganda.”

Mathuki made clear of the EAC’s true intention saying, ‘The exploitation of Somalia’s blue economy resources such as fish and the expansive coastline is also set to boost the regional economy.”

You can’t trust President Hassan to chew over major policies. He wants the country to join a bloc made for others, with no allowance for Somalis, their culture or religion.

One of EAC’s fundamental principles, according to its Constitution, is gender equality, which is contrary to the Islamic principles that Somalis believe in. The bloc’s membership stipulates that social and economic policies of aspiring members must be compatible with those of the Community.

On Oct. 25, President Hassan’s office tweeted that Mathuki, EAC’s secretary general, “commended Somalia’s commitment to join the EAC treaty,” a document the Somali public knows nothing about its contents.

No one seems to have a clear explanation about why President Hassan has decided to take that decision. Was it his own decision or was he just told — I don’t know by whom, could it Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh — to apply for the EAC membership at the earliest opportunity after his reelection last year.

The whole idea is mind-boggling.

“I am very grateful and I am glad today to see the Somali flag side by side with your flags. … And I hope and remain hopeful that it will remain there for the years to come,” said President Hassan in Arusha, Tanzania, last year, displaying an inferiority that had Kenya’s former President Uhuru Kenyatta in stitches.

President Hassan has always got his priorities wrong. Remember last year’s Somalia International Investment Conference in which he, in an address to the participants, falsely claimed that “Somalia is transitioning from the difficult era to the prosperity era.” His office at the time tweeted that “attraction of quality foreign investment as a national priority as the country revitalizes its status as a hub for regional and global trade.”

It is so painful and traumatizing to see our president, who continues to illegally usurp the powers of the prime minister, individually campaigning — even feeling proud of — for issues that are detrimental to our country.

I am yet to see a sound and thoughtful policy originating from the president that can help return Somalia to its lost glory. Even what outwardly appears a nice piece of policy has within it disastrous elements, such as his recent strategy against terrorists that has already boomeranged.

President Hassan’s decision shows the quality of thoughts that go into his policy-making process. He called the adoption of the report by the EAC’s verification team “a significant milestone in the steps leading to the finalization of the formal admission process.”

“The head of State has further expressed his deep appreciation for East African Community Heads of State’s historic decision and vote of confidence,” said a statement from President Hassan’s office.

The EAC team, which visited Somalia earlier this year, purposefully overlooked factors that should have disqualified Somalia’s application, like the lack of rule of law, terrorism, fragmentation in the country, political instability and the absence of accountability, transparency and social justice.

But they were far from being stupid.

Accepting President’s application could eventually benefit Ugandan, Burundian and Kenyan troops in Somalia who, if Somalia joins the bloc, could become the local national army, as EAC’s ultimate goal is to unite all its members under one country, with one president, one army, one capital, one currency, one constitution and one flag.

“By 2050, EAC will have been transformed into an upper– middle income region within a secure and politically united East Africa based on the principles of inclusiveness and accountability,” says the East African Community Vision 2050.

The Somali public should know that the whole idea of joining EAC has nothing to do with the country’s national interest.

I, therefore, call on all regional chiefs, intellectuals, religious scholars and the larger public to reject this ill-advised, disastrous and treasonous conspiracy to destroy Somalia through the membership of the East African Community. Voices of former presidents and prime ministers must be heard, for they can’t remain mum when President Hassan is destroying the Somali Nation —as the proverb goes an ant may well destroy a whole dam.

If Somalia ever needed a third liberation, it’s today — and I am not exaggerating it.

The Somali public must rise up and take to the streets to express their rejection of the dissolution of Somalia. Esteemed and nationalistic members of Parliament must demand answers and force President Hassan to withdraw the membership request before it’s too late. Countrymen, let’s do everything possible to foil this conspiracy.

President Hassan’s insidious policies since coming to power raise a very critical question: Is he on a mission on behalf of others to destroy Somalia through dismantling its security, economy, culture and language.

By trying to add Somalia to EAC, President Hassan is effectively erasing Somalia as an independent nation. The claim that Somalia will benefit from countries it shares almost nothing with is a bald-faced lie — and the way the president went about the EAC membership application substantiates my point.

The rushed application was fishy from the get-go. The president’s presence at the EAC’s retreat last year in Arusha, Tanzania, was obviously a devious plan.

Almost alone, the president rushed to Arusha and presented his application to the seven-nation bloc. I use the possessive pronoun ‘his’ advisedly because the president did not consult with anyone before taking this major policy decision that definitely would have, if not stopped in time, far-reaching and catastrophic consequences for the Somali Nation in East Africa and beyond. There was no public participation or discussion on the matter. There was no debates in Parliament. Nothing. The idea has started with him and, it seems, it will end with him.

Sitting among the audience, the president, like a student presenting a report to his teacher, he pleaded with EAC heads of state to consider his application.

“I am here standing [in fact, he was seated] in front of you requesting officially on behalf of the Somali people,” President Hassan said. “We need to join this great community [in his world, everything is great except Somalia]. It will be a dream come true the day that Somalia will access officially in this great community [have you observed his second use of ‘great’].” The words between the brackets are mine.

“Somalia belongs to East Africa,” the president said last year, during the High-level Retreat for the Summit on the EAC Common Market, without thinking about his words’ connotation. The preposition “to” can easily be interpreted as “the East African Community possess Somalia.”

President Hassan, who first made the application in 2012 during his first term, should have followed the example of former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo”, who even after renewing the application later decided to freeze it due to its danger to the country’s future.

Curiously, the bloc’s heads of state in their 22nd ordinary summit recommended that Somalia’s verification exercise be fast-tracked, expeditiously.

On Jan. 25, the bloc officially launched its verification mission to assess Somalia’s readiness to join the bloc and its team visited Mogadishu, with the aim of presenting a report to the EAC Council, the executive organ of the bloc.

Somali officials, who spoke about the issue, including Foreign Minister Abshir Omar Jama “Huruse,” avoided to mention the danger the membership posses to the Somali Nation. They even blatantly engaged in disinformation.

“The opportunities and benefits (of joining the bloc) is 99 percent more than obstacles, if any,” Abshir falsely said.

Somalia’s foreign policy was always a mess and shallow. For example, the country co-founded the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, but other members have always used its resource and influence against Somalia, laying bare the risk of joining blocs at a time when the Somali Nation is in an unenviable condition.

My call for the withdrawal of EAC shouldn’t be construed as a rejection of cooperation with the international community. No. That’s not my intention. My call is centered solely on the urgent need to first stand up Somalia, make its government functional, build credible institutions, secure its borders and protect its people everywhere before thinking of cooperation with stable and functioning countries and economies.

Somalia shouldn’t ever think of joining EAC, whose aim is to unify its members in a political federation.

Already, a team is collecting the views of the citizens of member countries on how they can be confederated, which EAC’s heads of state adopted in 2017 and billed it as the stepping stone toward political federation.

“East Africans want to live together and do business regardless of national boundaries. The EAC partner states should therefore endeavor to catch up with them and actualize the political confederation as fast as possible,” said President William Ruto last month after meeting with the Committee of Constitutional Experts for Drafting the EAC Political confederation Constitution.

The Kenyan president urged the team to “fast-track the process” and have the first draft of the Constitution by the end of June 2024, according to a statement by the EAC.

Abdulsalam Cumar “Hadliye,” President Hassan’s envoy for the East African Community, told Radio Mogadishu earlier this year that Somalia’s EAC membership process would be finalized this year.

The five landlocked countries in the bloc will use our sea, he falsely claimed. “By Allah willing, roads and [other] infrastructure will be built,” Abdulsalam said, intentionally misleading the public and concealing the fact that Tanzanian and Kenyan ports are nearer to the five land-locked countries in the bloc.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Bal’ad, who erroneously called the East African Community Market (“Isbahaysiga Suuqa Afrikada Bari,” as he put it), said “Somalia’s membership was today accepted.” That day was Jan. 25, when the verification team visited Mogadishu.

When Liiban Lug’ad, a journalist with Radio Mogadishu, asked Hadliye, Hassan’s envoy for the East African Community, what benefits could Somalis get from the bloc’s membership, he dabbled in how Somali traders in the region would trade freely within the EAC’s member countries. He also talked of cooperation on terrorism and benefits of open borders. Like other officials, including the president, he never mentioned what Somalia, the country, will gain out of this membership.

The claim that Somalia’s membership of the bloc will help Somali-owned business in EAC is neither here nor there. Individual successes can’t be marketed as a national success, especially when those individuals live in fear and are being harassed by host countries because they hail from a fragile country that can’t defend them.

I believe that as long as Somalia is fractured, unstable and poorly governed, no achievements by fellow countrymen and women in other countries would have any meaning. The truth is, Somalia’s current mess is a bane and shame to successful Somalis around the world, as we’ve seen when the US’s former President Donald Trump derided Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for coming from Somalia.

When our leaders commit a blunder that we believe threatens the country’s very existence, we should not keep silent. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “there comes a time when silence is betrayal.”

President Hassan’s EAC membership application was wrong, shortsighted and unnecessary. Sadly, it is a dark chapter in his tragic history, which is already littered with failure, corruption, nepotism and love for foreigners.

The President’s decision was harmful to every Somali on the Earth.

An EAC membership means diluting Somalia’s sovereignty, killing the Somali language and culture, disadvantaging Somalis and stunting the country’s recovery and stymieing its future development goals.

President Hassan’s application was a part of his run-from-accountability tactic that allowed him to illegally, shamelessly and in a nonestratgic manner sign a litany of international agreements without the knowledge and approval of Parliament and the public.

But no blunder can compare to his decision to offer Somalia to the East African Community on a golden platter. I say offer because there is no strategic national security interest in joining the bloc, whose member countries don’t even love Somalis. If Somalia — the only Muslim country with its own language and whose people are just one ethnic group — joins the bloc, it will be the odd one out.

The bloc has three official languages: Kiswahili, English and French, meaning the Somali language, already in danger, will further be endangered.

President Hassan’s policies made me think hard over his possible motives: Is he doing it for his selfish interests? Is he a foreign agent doing the bidding of others to destroy Somalia? Didn’t the president think of the consequences of his actions and the papers he will sign?

I don’t want to assign one trait to him, as the president appears to have many shortcomings that, if considered seriously, would have disqualified him from holding any public office in the first place.

One thing is clear, though: President Hassan is at best a misguided man who doesn’t seem to appreciate the weight of his office, the uniqueness of Somalia and how his policies are undermining the country he claims to be its president. Somalia, which is already being exploited, underdeveloped and threatened by foreign powers, is a failed state that can’t compete with stable and functioning countries. The country doesn’t stand much of a chance in EAC. Only extinction awaits us there.

President Hassan’s response to the public’s concerns was: “Let’s compete. Life is [like] competition.” He didn’t bother to say how a country, whose citizens are not even safe in the capital, can compete with others with a massive head start. Nor did he explain how the over one million internally displaced people in the country can compete with the citizens in their own homes. Nor did he talk of how the over seven million hungry Somalis can’t get the means to compete with people with caring governments.

Somalia doesn’t need EAC to prosper. It has enough resources to prosper. It only needs a visionary and nationalistic leader with an integrity, unlike President Hassan. We have abundant resources that can make us a world-class nation.

Until we can get the right leader, let’s not allow people like President Hassan to destroy the country.

Let’s foil President Hassan’s EAC membership application before we lose our country and identity forever. Let’s save Somalia from President Hassan. Rejecting the EAC membership is a life and death struggle for every Somali anywhere in the world. It’s an existential issue.

Only treasonous individuals and enemies of Somalia can afford to run away from this noble struggle.

Fellow Somalis, let’s, for once, put aside our differences and stand up and be counted.