Somalia: Hamas is 'an Islamic liberation organization' not 'terrorist'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Nov 2023 19:13
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Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre reaffirms that Mogadishu will not "heed to pressure" and maintains that Hamas is an "Islamic liberation organization."

Somalia's Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at United Nations headquarters. (AP)

"Hamas is an Islamic liberation organization and freedom fighters struggling to liberate the Palestinian land and people," said Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre during a speech before he stressed that Somalia refuses to call Hamas a "terrorist organization" or to "heed to pressure."

"We will not accept to call it a terror group," Abdi Barre added, explaining that "the Muslim world has been divided, made enemies of each other, and forced to call Hamas a terrorist organization. We don't say it, and we don't accept it."

Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hamza Abdi Barre affirms that “Hamas is not a terrorist group, but rather a liberation movement aims to free its land and its people.” #Palestine pic.twitter.com/Ccu8YAeXFn
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 2, 2023

“Where is the world? Where are the human rights defenders? Where are the children’s rights defenders? Where are the women’s rights defenders? Where have they gone?” asked the Prime Minister who shed light on the sad reality in Palestine, saying, "The blood that is spilling from our brothers and the suffering they are being subjected to is for the redemption of the Al-Aqsa Mosque."

According to Kulan Post, a Kenyan media outlet, Abdi Barre also underscored that "rather, we think [the state of] Israel is a terror group like Al-Shabab who kill the innocent people anyhow."

This is not the first time that Somalia has hailed Palestine and voiced support for the Palestinian Resistance, as Somalia's plight in the face of occupation and invasion and its fight against terrorism are not new.

Black Hawk Down: America's history in reviving wars in Somalia

The “Black Hawk Down” battle, which took place 30 years ago today after the American military launched a military attack on Somalia, is often seen as a pivotal point in history that gave birth to a new "world order" led by the United States following the Cold War.

Earning its title due to the downing of multiple UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, the attack resulted in the death of 18 US soldiers and around 300 Somali casualties of both civilians and armed personnel.

Probably one of the most severe impacts of the US actions in the African country has been the obstruction of the potential rise of locally-derived solutions, which over time, might have led to an end to ongoing conflict in the country.

The US interventions have perpetuated strife and stunted historical progress in the region, a report published by the Responsible Statecraft said.

The Battle of Mogadishu was the peak of a series of increasingly militarized US-led UN interventions in Somalia. Initiated in April 1992, the United Nations Operations in Somalia I (UNOSOM I) aimed to oversee a truce in Mogadishu after the collapse of the Somali state in 1991. However, ongoing conflict severely hindered aid distribution during a severe famine.

A US proposal to spearhead a multinational force, known as the United Task Force (UNITAF) was approved by the UN, leading to UNITAF's deployment in Somalia in December 1992. Their mission was to ensure safety and support humanitarian efforts. By March 1995, UNITAF transitioned to UNOSOM II, comprising around 30,000 personnel from 27 nations. While the United States contributed just over 1,000 members, they held considerable control over the mission's actions.

UNOSOM II inherited the responsibilities of UNITAF to ensure the delivery of aid but was additionally charged with nation-building tasks, which included compulsory disarmament.

This expanded mandate resulted in confrontations with the Somali National Alliance (SNA) militia, under the leadership of General Mohamed Farah Aidid, with US forces leading the confrontation and conducting military actions against the armed group and its leader.

In the wake of escalating retaliatory assaults, US troops undertook a mission on October 3, 1993, targeting a Mogadishu hotel to apprehend senior SNA officials. The adverse outcomes of this operation prompted the Clinton administration to alter its approach, pulling American forces out of Somalia by the Spring of 1994. By early 1995, the UN had also withdrawn from the region.