Mogadishu (UM) – Today there’s hope that Somalia can achieve debt relief. The new Managing Director of the the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that the International community should support Somalia to get its over $5 billion debt cleared by its creditors and this looks like it will happen because of the good economic reform performance in Somalia and the support of the international partners.
This news should make all Somalis happy and United in wanting to change their future. However, this week the maritime case against Kenya was unjustly delayed by the International Court of Justice and there’s more interference by Kenya in Somalia’s internal politics. What use is debt relief if Somalis are not united? Will debt relief come if Somalis remain divided along clan dictated federal state lines? The answer is NONE. The only people that benefit from the current political Stalemate is Somalia’s enemies and we must not allow this.
The political issues between the federal government and the federal member states is mainly one of resources. Poverty is the problem. If Somalia gets debt relief early next year, it will get financial assistance to invest in important public services that can begin its development process nationally. But to get there, Somalis must be politically united and complete the economic reforms before them. We must reconcile and agree our priorities.
The international community finally looks ready to do big things in Somalia and the Somali political class must start the dialogue so that our people can benefit from this new hope on the horizon.
Somalis must move forward together or not at all. This is the only choice that faces us all. Let’s make the right decision.