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“A Neighbor In Need A Neighbor In Deed!”
A Tribute to the People and the Government of Ethiopia on the time of my Departure from my three years service in the country as an ambassador of the Republic of Somalia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) Ambassador Abdikarin Farah
It is really unwise of me if I simply rush to my business without saying “Happy New Millennium” to all Ethiopians locally and abroad at the time when this great nation of unique history and culture is colorfully celebrating its second millennium and transferring in to the third with remarkable results already at hand.
May I therefore say NABAD GELYO IYO MILLINNIUM FARXAD LEH, with my own vernacular language, so to say, “HAPPY MILLINNIUM” and wish the upcoming years to be prosperous moments; moments of peace, democracy, good governance and above all development and prosperity; moments where the government and people of Ethiopia acquire what they have been aspiring for; moments where Ethiopia would join middle income countries sooner than later. By then, which is believed to take fifteen to twenty years, I also wish to be among the witnesses of the current scenario and proudly speak that I was on some kind of mission of hilling my country as an ambassador of the Republic of Somalia to Ethiopia and the Permanent Representative of the African Union. I will be overconfident to speak to the historians and anyone concerned that I was right at the heart of the country and the capital of the country, Addis Ababa, when the foundation for this great success was laid and the people and government of Ethiopia happen to aspire for this wonderful era to come and when they were confidently speaking of the case and stood in unison and great determination to realize that.
I don’t know how I could describe as to how I was happy when I first learned that I was assigned in Addis Ababa as an ambassador of the Republic of Somalia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) some three Years back.
For one thing, this magnificent country is my second home as I was descended from an Ethiopian family when my father happened to marry a beautiful lady from the eastern region of the country in an arranged marriage by my grandfather.
This happened in no more than fourty years time which of course clearly depicts how these nations have entwined for ages in many respects. Moreover, I was very much aware that the government of Ethiopia has been pursuing a number of sound policies and strategies that could extricate its people from poverty and backwardness and in a number of occasions adjusted them whenever and wherever necessary as far as they are believed to be important for the betterment of the nation and its people.
In this regard, apart from the assistance that it could generate from the people and government of Ethiopia at this moment in time, my country has a lot to learn from these policy directions, the dedications of the leaders and the people of the country and other positive experiences of its neighboring country.
As everyone in Ethiopia was aware and curiously following, Somalia has suffered from civil war for over sixteen years and I firmly believed at the onset that it is only Somalis who could be at the forefront in be meaningfully successful in hilling the country from that problem. But still, I was also hundred percent sure and still of the opinion that the contribution of a neighboring countries especially those genuine and determined like Ethiopia is by and large crucial for they are ready to share the burden and bring some kind of solutions to any of the crises that could be encountered.
Though Somalia suffered a lot from civil war and its people has forced to lead a miserable life at home and outside they never ever stopped to struggle all the threats and the problems encountered in different forms. They, along with their friends and allies have been striving to bring a sustainable solution to this scourge problem.
I, Ambassador Abdikarin Farah, am among the many Somalis who dedicated the entire life for this noble cause. I was among those Somalis who suffered a lot from the dictatorial military rule of Siyad Barre and happened to escape from the country.
Thanks to the hospitality of the people and the government of Great Britain, I was among those people who got all the opportunities that a contemporary human being could get mainly in terms of education and property and I happened to become British citizen who used to lead a very comfortable life inside the capital London.
But still I was not happy with this life of mine for the reason that my fellow citizens in Somalia were suffering from multiples of social and economic problems due to the civil war irrupted some seventeen years ago.
This suffering and killings of innocent civilians have also initiated hundreds and thousands of true sons of Somalia all over the world to join hands in the efforts meant to bring sustainable peace and stability in the country. The formation of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia was a milestone in the history of hilling the country from this scourge problem that it trapped with.
The TFG since its inception has passed through several meaningful moves and started to progress registering fruitful results started to witness improvements up until the group so called Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) has somehow interrupted and attempted to spoil the remarkable improvements.
As part of this noble cause I passed through several challenge in participated in a number of seminars and meetings with elder lies and scholars of Somalia. Later on when those meetings and discussions started to bear fruit and a meaningful results bringing significant number and representatives Somalia I was relentlessly working for realizing sustainable peace, democracy and the rule of law under the internationally accepted and legally formed government- the TFG and this is the greatest responsibility I shoulder in my entire life.
For a junior ambassador like me, it was a very difficult task to shoulder this great responsibility. Moreover, I knew from the very beginning that my duties and the mission I took were so hard due to the then situation in my country and the less attention given by the international community.
There was however strong stamina and an optimist feeling inside me that became a force to confront whatever task my government and people would like me to accomplish for I convinced myself that I will continue to dedicate my time, sacrifice my life and allocate my money and property as far as it contribute to the progress of my country. This feeling and dedication of mine will stay to the end wishing of course to see my country to be on the right truck towards development and until my fellow citizen start to breathe peaceful air sustainably and exercise the fundamental principles of democracy, good governance and the rule of law.
Be this as it may, there had been a complete discrepancy between my expectations and the situations here in Ethiopia. I have no words that could describe the assistance I got from the people and government officials of Ethiopia since I started my career here in Addis. The people and the government of Ethiopia have taken the case in Somalia as their own issue and contributed tremendously beyond my expectations for realizing peace and reconciliation and sustainable solution to the problem in Somalia. If there is any country to be mentioned as the primary in the efforts of realizing peace and reconciliation in Somalia which involves their own troops that is Ethiopia and if there are the leading actors as people outside Somalia they are Ethiopians and other nationals as well. Though I had a blood connection with the people of this country and I am intimate to the Somali clans in Ethiopia,
I had no experience as such of interacting with the people of this nation especially those at the center. However, it didn’t take me months or a year to interact with the people, government officials residing in the country. Moreover, all sections of the society have beyond any exaggeration took the issue of Somalia as their own business and helped my mission in general and towards realizing sustainable remedy to the problem in Somalia. The fruits registered so far were not the efforts of the people of Somalia and the TFG alone. Had it not be to your support and advice the case in Somalia would have been worsened.
The people and government of Ethiopia have hosted hundreds and thousands of Somalis during those challenging moments and are still hospitable to the people of Somalia. In addition, the people and government of Ethiopia have helped the political and social transformation in Somalia. The fruits registered within this short period of time are the results of concerted efforts of the people and government of Ethiopia and Somalia as well as the international community as a whole. Though I took the title as an ambassador, all these actors were playing this role day in and day out during my career.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOU ALL AS I DEPART FROM YOU TO OTHER COUNTRY AND YET FOR ANOTHER MISSION
TO_____________________________
As we are in this beautiful country of unique culture and history ushering its second millennium, I would like to say you and your staff at the embassy HAPPY NEW YEAR AND PROSPERIOUS NEW MILLINNIUM!!!
Since I was assigned as Ambassador of the Republic of Somalia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) you have been so kind and supportive to me in my career. As finish my duty in Ethiopia I would like to say thank you very much on behalf of the people and government of Somalia. Without your assistance the results registered so far and the hope that we generated would have been impossible.
I also call upon your Excellency and all the staff at your embassy to continue your assistance. Somalia is now in a good truck and the fruits registered so far are encouraging. However, your assistance is by and large essential. Hence, passing my special regard and appreciation, I would once again humbly urge you to continue your assistance and support to my predecessor.
With Best Regards
