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Abdullahi Dahir
Moogedahas2008@yahoo.com
Jan 03, 2008
Meet the ‘Tadaaqiis’
(literally translated as the armed ones)
in the nominal Somali Regional State. At
first glance, this nomenclature could be
deceiving; for it is possible many would
assume it portrays either the Tigray
Military or the rebel freedom fighters. In
its purest form, it could be used for
military, paramilitary, militia or armed
gangsters. Anyone with a passing knowledge
of the regional politics would, however,
understand to whom the term is exclusively
applied. For the unfamiliar though, let me
briefly describe how the term came into
prominence and why it is relevant to discuss
it now. The Ogaden region has seen a fair
share of conflicts and struggle for freedom.
Revolts for independence range from the
early days of Nasrullah uprising, WSLF and
the subsequent Ogaden war to the ongoing
rebellion in the region.
It is a fact
that millions had suffered in the past and
continue to lead miserable lives caught
between the legitimate fight for
independence by the Ogaden Somalis in the
region on the one hand and the attempts to
suppress these aspirations consistently
employed by successive Ethiopian regimes. As
evidenced in many other struggles worldwide,
it is also natural for few traitors to crop
up and benefit from the distress of their
brothers; and end up in the wrong side of
the history books. The ‘Tadaaqiis’
belong to this class of traitors who witness
the death, rape, and disappearance of Ogaden
men and women in exchange for titles,
luxurious cars and money. By all accounts,
they are identical in their deeds with the
Pablo Escobar’s of Colombia, and the mafia
Dons in Mario Puzzo’s “The Godfather”.
While the drug lords of the underground
world sell and traffic heroine, hashish, and
opium, our mafias in the heartlands of
Ogaden trade in human beings.
If by any
quirk of fate you happen to be in the Ogaden
region, the sight of young and middle-aged
men on top of pick-up trucks, armed with
Kalashnikovs, is common. If they are Somali
speakers with no military outfits, look no
further: you are seeing the Tadaaqiis.
But beware of your conclusions. These are
the “starters”, who would have to prove
themselves over time to become big
Tadaaqiis, and sit in palaces not on top
of trucks. Proving their loyalty might not
come immediately, as they have to dock in as
many as “anti-peace elements” and
“sympathizers” as possible before they are
elevated to the next hierarchy of a vicious
cycle of titles. Usually this comes in the
form of district head or head of security in
the nominal administration of the region. If
the military commanders in the area of
operations testify to their “courage”, the
revered title of “Tagaay” (struggler)
would be bestowed upon them. With these
acknowledgement comes everything: power,
money and impunity.
However, for a
lucky Tadaaqii, the gates of “fame”
and fortune could open overnight. A notable
example is the infamous Tadaaqi from
Qabri-bayah, Abdi Dhuub, who was elevated in
the higher echelons of power instantaneously
after having helped the ever grateful Tigres’
in the elimination of seven respected
community elders. These ones would never
have to go to the battlefield. Instead, they
present as sacrificial lambs few of their
fellow countrymen by “blowing out their
covers”. More often than not, the Tigre army
does not request for an alibi or conclusive
evidence, and the words of the Tadaaqii
are taken as enough demonstration of the
subject’s guilt. Many agree that the
massacres of the seven innocent religious
leaders were based on innuendos and
conjectures at best.
For others
like the current head of regional security
and justice, Abdi Iley, it took some time
and effort to establish himself as one of
the top Janjaweeds, as they are
widely referred to as of late. Some did even
call them Qabaal-weeds, saying
they ride Qabaals (pick-up vehicles)
not horses; unlike the Janjaweeds
in Darfur. A parvenu of immeasurable
ignorance, Iley rose through the ranks from
cable-carrier boy for the electricity
authority in Degahbour town. He has endeared
himself to the Tigray military bosses by
providing information-correct or incorrect-
on whomever he has an issue with.
Feeling that
is not enough, he frequented bars and
drinking dens with army commanders. That is
as low as you should go down to earn the
trust if not the respect of the Woyannes.
The man who recruited him, Da’uud or as he
prefers to be called Ato Da’uud, is a man
filled with vengeance specially for the
Ogaden Somalis as the result of an
inferiority complexity he suffers from his
childhood upbringing. He loathes Somalis and
savors when his friends tell him he looks
like a Tigre. The current regional president
largely owes his position to being married
with a Tigrrean woman; and is a big
Tadaaqi. These are not, by any means,
the only ones; but few. There is no purpose
served in providing an exhaustive list of
them. So, what do the Taadaaqiis do?
The
Tadaaqiis provide the intelligence and
direction for the acts of barbarism
undertaken by the Tigray Military. The
following brutal techniques had been and are
still used against Ogaden civilians
according to a confidential document
released to the UN in 2003: (1)
indiscriminate killing of civilians in
retaliation for ONLF actions (2)
extrajudicial arrests and the use of
“robust” interrogation techniques of
suspected ONLF supporters and families (3)
forced recruitment of informants (4)
intimidation of elders to surrender the
names of suspected ONLF members in their
respective communities. The Tadaaqiis
are the main protagonists in these breaches
of all humanitarian laws and are handsomely
rewarded for their loyalty in the form of
power, perks, and select privileges.
Amassing stolen money is the only philosophy
of the dodgy members of this cult.
The essence of
Tadaaqiism was, in the immediate
past, to wield guns and terrorize people.
This localized terrorism was reserved for
the illiterate. However it no longer is so.
It has since transformed into an ideology of
opportunism and treason. It is set to
survive as long as the oppressor and the
oppressed exist. However, it would likely
change colours and forms from time to time
adapting to the dynamic nature of the
conflict. Testimony to this stands the
proliferation of elder (odayaal)
Tadaaqiis dubbed Amaakaariis
(advisors), educated Tadaaqiis,
merchant Tadaaqiis and women
Tadaaqiis. With the prevailing system
and the continued manipulation by the Tigray
militias of the frailty of human nature in
Ogaden, Tadaaqiism has a future in
the region at least in the short term.
Today, it has evolved into a way of life;
one that would ultimately lead to perdition.
The current
scaling up in the operations of the ONLF,
the so-called crackdown by the Tigray
militias and the political quagmire the
EPRDF government is plunged into; provide
ideal breeding ground for the expansion of
Tadaaqiism. As a consequence, the
practice is increasing and, expectedly, new
variants of it are popping up by the day.
The latest version is the emergence of pen-Tadaaqiis
who became apologists for the perpetrators
of the Ogaden genocide in a futile effort to
defend the moribund Tigray dictatorship.
Prominent among them is Abdullahi Khalif
Garille.
Writing what
is usually long and judgmental statements,
devoid of logic and reasoning, and laced
with curse against the Ogaden people, he
often concludes with praises to Meles and
his ‘development initiatives’ in the region.
His motives are all clear. He would relish
the opportunity of being summoned by the
nominal regional administration to join the
top Janjeweeds. It only amazes me why it has
taken so long for the regime in Addis Ababa
to give the man what he fought for. Or
perhaps they felt he is more useful there.
Having asked few questions about the man, I
learned that his father had also been a
colonial sympathizer in Kelafo. Well, it is
quite atavistic of him to follow suit.
One Mr. Bile,
or to call him by his first name- Ahmed
Hadi- in US, is also in this category.
Although he is of less caliber and ability,
he painstakingly thrives to jot down few
sentences as comments in Nazret.com. The
lack of coherence in his writings did not
disguise his lack of sagacity and outright
cruelty towards his own Ogaden people. He
purports to be pro-development in the
region; but I wonder if he knows that it is
hardly achieved by killing civilians and
burning villages. I heard he occasionally
travels to the region and that many of his
closest family members have been victimized
by TPLF militias; which adds to my utter
disbelief and confusion!!!!! Perhaps a
handful of remittances from Jigjiga could
supplement his meager income as a refugee in
the US. But will his conscience rest in
peace? If he has one, of course! He and his
co-editor in EEGGA.com, a young boy with a
test for easy life, have to realize their
commotion and rubbish misinformation is only
embarrassing themselves in the face of the
people of Ogaden.
Pen-Tadaaqiis
are as pervasive as ever today and are
manifested in the form of educated
bureaucrats who espouse subordination
doctrine albeit with a higher level of
sophistication. Some websites are running a
flurry of anti-ONLF articles while less
accommodative of other views. I wonder if
the purpose is to inform people or rather to
disorientate and divert attention from what
really matters: the ongoing massacres of
civilians in Ogaden. Others are busy with
the relevance or appropriateness of a
particular name of an organization without
discussing what vision they have for the
Somali people. Wardheernews, Somalistate,
Somaliview, Kilil5, etc should realize
readers are mature enough to decipher a
pattern in what they usually post.
History
and recent events for that matter- including
the arrest of Ibrahim Xaad- are vivid enough
to teach the Taaqaaqiis in all their forms
what is in store for them-sooner or later.
Fools never learn from history, though. I
remember once listening to a song with the
title: “what do you learn from history?
Apparently Nothing!” The history of
mankind is full of men who, driven by ego
and greed, inflicted pain on millions only
to end up in shame and disgrace often having
failed to head the lessons in the history
books seriously. Not surprising though pen
Taadaaqii’s like Garille et al are
not learning their lessons. They are like …Kuwii
ka baydhee bahdood ka leexdee boqonta gooyey
waa baa’baooda…. |
