Somali Cause: the Impact of the Somali Diaspora

By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
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[ Posted On: 2007-12-06 ]

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 bringing justice, peace and stability to Somalia.

To join Somali Cause or for more information, please email us at info@somalicause.org or call us at (202) 285-0780 or mail us at 1425 K ST NW STE 350 Washington DC, 20005-3514

Contact Person: Abdulkadir Abdirahman, Somali Cause, Chairman

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 49, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

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