 |
Sayed Mohamed
|
The Darwish State of Somalia
In 1899, a charismatic man with exceptional
leadership qualities and oratory skills convinced a strong Somali clan
to join him in his struggle against the occupation of Somalia by
foreign powers: Great Britain, Italy and France. According to a
British officer, the Somali clan, before joining the Sayed in his
struggle for freedom, could muster more than 80,000 horsemen at a time
in times of war. In Mad Mullah, the colonial officer Jardine described
the clan as one that possessed more than its fair share of the
legendary Somali pride and conceit. The clan that inhabited the Nugal
Valley and extended into the Hawd and reserved area, Somali territories
that were later ceded illegally by Britain to Ethiopia, formed the
bulk of the Darwish movement that transformed a nomadic clan into the
inhabitants of a functioning state with its capital in Taleh where the
Sayid built his famous fort. The State had its own legislative,
judicial and Executive branches. The Sayid and a few trusted
individuals formed the Executive Branch, highly educated religious
scholars formed the judicial branch while the Khususi, or the inner
circle, formed the legislative branch. The army had its own hierarchy
and command structure and functioned like a modern military. The Sayid
had informal diplomatic relations with countries like Turkey and Saudi
Arabia. The Turks even sent him experts who helped him build a
sprawling compound in Taleh which was known to Somalis as “Xarunta” or
the HQ. A German engineer sent by the Turks helped him maintain his
weapons.
After 21 years of a costly struggle in terms
of life and resources, the Darwish movement was finally crushed with
the help of superior air power that destroyed most of the buildings in
Darwish strongholds like Medeshi and Taleh, and massacred thousands of
men, women and children. The British infantry later destroyed the fort
in Taleh with explosives, but it stubbornly defied total destruction and
many sections still stand today as reminders of a proud Somali
heritage that defied colonization by foreign powers. Despite its many
detractors who mostly collaborated with the British in its colonization
of Somalia, the Darwish Movement is the longest of its kind in many
parts of Africa. The Sayid escaped the bombardment and tried to
resurrect the movement but died of natural causes after refusing to
consider British offers of peace and collaboration. He even derided the
delegation sent to him by the British and they barely escaped with
their lives for being emissaries of a colonizing power that killed
thousands of their fellow countrymen.
 |
Teleh Fort
|
Even after defeat, the Darwish survivors
refused to sign any agreements with the British unlike the other Somali
clans in the area that willingly signed protection treaties with the
British Raj when its first ships landed on the Somali shores. These
surviving warriors remained loyal to their cause and commander in chief
until their death. In the early 1970s, as a school boy, when I visited
our nomadic hamlets in the summer holidays, I remember seeing a number
of these surviving Darawish who were ready to fight against anyone who
bad mouthed the Sayid and his movement in any manner. The aging
Darawish were always ready to defend their legacy with the
paraphernalia of weapons they still had access to such as daggers worn
around their waists, despite their frailness and aging bodies. Some of
them still bore the scars of the numerous battles they witnessed in
their youth when they rode sturdy stallions and mares for hundreds of
miles with no food or water. Some of them were among the lucky few who
traveled from Taleh to Berbera on horseback to surprise the British in
their seat of power. The thundering sound of their horses must have
brought fear to the hearts of those who collaborated with the British
by getting the impression that the earth must have been sinking under
their feet. The unwavering loyalty of the surviving Darawish is
testimony to the high esteem they held their commander of chief in who
refused to the last minute to betray their cause and make peace with
the enemy.
After independence in 1960, a mobile unit in the
Somali police adopted the name of the Darawish and used uniforms
reminiscent of the fierce Darwish warriors and their white turbans and
matching flowing robes. The famous Somali poet Qassim sent the Sayid a
moving tribute and message to inform him in his grave that the
struggle that the he, the Sayid , started finally bore fruit and that
his people kicked out the colonialists from their country. The Darwish
movement was later honored by the revolutionary government of Siyad
Barre by erecting a magnificent monument that commemorated its struggle
for freedom and Somali honor. A surviving Darwish used to guard the
monument until he resigned in disgust when a crow perched itself on the
turban of the Sayid as if that was a bad omen that somehow foretold
the ignominious fate of the monument when it was dismantled and
desecrated at the hands of angry mobs motivated by clan hatred after the
collapse of the Somali Government. As a matter of fact, the statue of
the Sayid itself was toppled and cut to pieces only to be sold as scrap
in Dubai for a few thousand dollars. Let us hope that the current
Somali government will restore the monument to its former glory. Only
then will Mogadishu truly be a Somali capital for all Somalis since the
preservation of Somali history is a shared responsibility.
 |
Taleh in Ruins
|
Upholding the Darwish Principles
The descendants of the Darwish warriors are
now faced with a big challenge. They are expected to singlehandedly
defend Somali Unity as if such unity does not concern other Somalis.
The one clan SNM rebel movement that collaborated with other clan-based
rebel movements to destroy Somalia, has embarked on a genocidal
campaign to ethnically cleanse them from their ancestral lands. They,
the Darawish descendants, have been given an ultimatum to either join
the SNM in their quest for seceding from Somalia or face forced
eviction from their territories. Such inhumane threats have been
unequivocally voiced by prominent SNM politicians like the chairman of
the Justice and Welfare Party in Somaliland, a prominent Islamic Scholar
known as Sheikh Siro and a member of the Upper House of Parliament
called Abdi Warabe. The SNM considers all Somali territories that were
once a colony of Great Britain as being part of Somaliland and should
therefore join the secession bandwagon by force. While it is immoral
and wrong to break up Somalia into cantons, it is more serious to force
others to join in a wrong cause and threaten them with deadly force and
eviction. What else is open for people faced with such a life
threatening situation except taking up arms and fighting to the last
man and woman?
 |
Khatumo Sate of Somalia
After 20 years of anarchy and the absence of
a strong central government, the descendants of the Darawish have
finally decided to form their own administration. On 12 January 2012,
they assembled from all over the world in the Darwish stronghold of
Taleh. The conference was held under an ancient tree dubbed as “Birdaha
Khaatumo”. The tree must have been a witness to the hundreds of
Darwish expeditions that embarked on missions to fight the British
Colonialists such as the one in which Ismail Mire, the Dariwsh
Commander, defeated the British colonial officer Richard Corfield. The
participants were owed by the magnificence of the albeit destroyed fort
and the hospitality of the Taleh residents who shared their meager
resources with them and opened their homes for them. Despite the
remoteness of the area and the lack of paved roads, they all felt
energized by a mysterious force once they made it safely to Taleh. They
were welcomed with fine horses that raced with the 4 wheel drive
vehicles that welcomed every delegation. One could easily visualize the
thousands of horses and white turbaned Darawish roaming the area in the
heydays of Taleh.
After lengthy deliberations and consultations, the
Darwish descendants from all walks of life joined their 12 traditional
leader to announce to the world the formation of a new Federal State
known as the Federal State of Khaatumo. The State seeks to uphold
Somali Unity and to develop Khatumo territories peacefully. These
territories have been ignored by all development agencies after he
Somaliland and Puntland administrations managed to portray them as
disputed no-go areas inhabited by wild and inhospitable clans. This
inhuman behavior could have been motivated by the perception of the
leaders of both administrations that the Khatumo residents supported
the Somali government when they took up arms against it.
Somaliland Aggression
Just after the formation of the Khatumo
State, Somaliland forces attacked and entered the city of Buhodleh to
prevent the group that was instrumental in forming Khatumo from
crossing the border with Ethiopia, the only outlet for them to return
to their homes after Somaliland and Puntland threatened them with
imprisonment if they tried to travel from their airports. But the
people of Buhodle defended their city with valor and managed to evict
the secessionist forces. Battles raged for weeks and many innocent
lives were lost.
 |
After being defeated in Buhodle, the
Somaliland Administration, in its futile attempts to portray Somaliland
as a democratic bastion, redeployed its forces to another area known as
Hudun in order to force its residents there to vote in the recent
rigged elections. However, the residents of Hudun defended their city
against the invaders and rejected the entrance of any ballot boxes into
their city. These blank ballots were later forged and tallied despite
the declaration of the International observers that Hudun did not
participate in the election when hostilities broke out in the area.
Unfortunately more Somali blood was shed in Hudun and another
round of fighting is expected soon since the secessionist forces are
still in the area and are looking for more trouble despite being asked
to leave in peace.
Khatumo Commitment and Resolve
December 4 will be a day etched in the
memory of the people of Khatumo. On that day, the first aircraft
touched down at Sayid Mohamed Abdulla Hassan airport in Taleh. The
airport was built with the help of the Khatumo diaspora to serve as
an outlet for the landlocked State. The aircraft carried the Khatumo
delegation from Mogadishu after successfully participating in the
ratification of the draft constitution and the election of the new
Somali parliament that elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud as the president
of Somalia. A few days ago, the elected president for all Somalis
hastily congratulated Somaliland on a successful election at a time
when Somali blood was being shed in Hudun by forces that have resolved
to dismantle the very country that he presides over. Khatumo and the
Somali people expect an apology and an explanation for such a hasty
decision.
 |
The people of Khatumo will continue in their
struggle despite being abandoned by the other Somalis. They have sworn
through their traditional leaders to take up arms against the
Somaliland secessionist forces until they evict them from their
territories which they continue to occupy by force. Since the
Somaliland administration continues to imprison journalists, ordinary
citizens, students and anyone who dares challenge their Illegal
presence in Khatumo territories, the Khatumo resistance is a morally
justified one that is based on the basic human rights of its people.
If you are a true Somali patriot who cares
about Somali Unity and future, join us in this just cause. Khatumo is
not an aggressor and has a legitimate right to stand up to arrogance
and aggression. Somalis in the Diaspora are also invited to charter
special direct flights to Taleh and witness firsthand the history that
has so far being hidden from them for years. Somali children can wander
among the Taleh Fort ruins which are expected to be rebuilt to their
former glory soon. The children can ride horses that are the progeny of
famous breeds like Xiin Finiin, Tuurre and Walhad.
Such trips will demonstrate your support for Somali Unity and
help Khatumo in its struggle against a determined enemy of that Unity.
It will also help the Khatumo residents defeat the invisible Berlin
Wall that has been erected around them by both Puntland and Somaliland.
Finally, Many thanks to sister
Roda Afjanno
for her beautiful poem that has motivated all Khatumites in their
struggle. I would also like to thank the pilot who transported the
Khatumo delegation from Mogadishu to Taleh safely and opened the door
for many future flights that will hopefully carry members of the
Somalia Parliament, the Somali cabinet and the International Community
to witness firsthand the efforts of the Khatumo State to develop its
territories peacefully.
Ali H Abdulla
