@tyrannicalmanager and
@El Nino. Many people on this site think talking about the reality of the situation in South Somalia and constructive criticism of the Central government makes you an AS sympathiser.
Like the video
@DivineMartial posted earlier of Balcad and the people celebrating. Is it a surprise? Would you pick moriyaan sna soldiers who until recently were well known and still to some extent for killing/stealing/raping, macwiisley who have set up isbaaro across the shabelle dhexe after being given guns and Burundi ajanabi soldiers v AS?
To some it might not be clear. The majority of the people are opposed to AS on the surface as Khawriij because of their suicide bombings, spilling blood of civilians and their harsh punishments on clans/towns that work with Federal gov and try to oppose them.
That's the theatre of war. But a lot of people try to ignore and brush under the carpet the governing side. Most of the South as I said earlier have come to hate and fear AS because of their severe violence, but at the same time the majority also believe that AS are better at governing and serve more social justice. A paradox right?
Ive lived in the South for long periods of time and I'm not gonna lie there is no proper organisation or form of government there. Its all kinda like a mafia ring, waxa ka buuxo tuugo iyo mooriyaan....be it In a government suit or soldiers uniform they are all corrupt.
The South you have to understand since the collapse of the Siyad Barre government there has been no real government.
After the fall of Siyad Barre the south fell into clannism. Actually let me rewrite that, sorry to my Marexaan friends but during Siyad Barre's rule the fragile clan dynamics of Somali society further exacerbated. You have Siyad Barre becoming heavy handed and committing crimes against the clans of rebel groups such as SNM(Isaaq core), SSDF(MJ) and USC(Hawiye). Isaaq were not just bombed in the North, but in the south the place that is called Jazeera beach is were Marehaan and other Darood forces rounded up 40+ Isaaq men in Mogadishu and then took them to the beach to be killed. Hawiye faced random killings in Galmudug, Hiraan and Xamar by Siad Barre henchmen as well. Majeerteen also faced persecution, my mum used to work in Galkacyo one time and used to tell me how Siyad Barre soldiers would rape MJ women, and destroy their wells and drinking water.
Im not picking sides or blaming one tribe over another but i am talking about Somali society clan dynamics.
The Siyad Barre government in hindsight seems like a utopia compared to our situation today, but if you look back it shows the real issue in Somalia and that is different clans can not possibly trust each other. Because if X clan gets in power it will lead to enrichment/corruption of X clan and abuse of power against other clans if they try to speak up for representation/equal rights.
Going back on the historical sociological arc. The abuse of power by Siyad Barre, his clan and other Darood factions(Dhulbahante im looking at you lol you're notorious in Xamar as Siyad Barre's henchman/killers and Morgan who was the face of MJ to Hawiye in Xamar in those days). The previous government fueled imo most of what has happened post 91 like it or not. Siyad Barre and a lot of Darood had the government on lock, high positions, wealth and power. Isaaq were left isolated in the North and had to come all the way to Mogadishu to get a passport, and Hawiye although indigenous to Xamar were no doubt a tier below Darood in the Xamar hierarchy.
All this frustration coupled with government killings and atrocities it festered clan frustrations...and when the USC entered Xamar instead of starting a reconciliation process and building a fair inclusive government....it instead turned into a witch-hunt...were all Darood were grouped together, civilian or not, young or old and we know the tragedies that happened to the Darood people that were living in Xamar at that time. Instead of the civilians being left alone, they were killed, raped and had their property stolen(Hawiye use justification by calling it taking back Booli Qaran smh).
So how many abuses do we have due to clan influences? Siyaad Barre/Darood vs Isaaq, MX v MJ, Darood vs Hawiyye and Hawiye vs Darood.
Then you have the inner clan conflict with Ali Mahdi(Abgaal) vs Caydiid(Habar Gidir) in Xamar and then in 2003 with ex president Abdiqaasim (HG-Ceyr) not being able to enter Villa Somalia since his fellow HG- Sacad refused to vacate it for him, and in Somaliland you had Habar Awal+Habar Jeclo v Habar Younis Garxajis in the early 90s...and also had Isaaq SNM killing a lot of Gadabuursi in the Awdal region.
Imo Siyad Barre's government, its collapse and what aspired afterwards is what makes me believe that there never will be Somali unity since clan violence has caused so much destruction and pain all around Somalia. How can you trust another clan when tomorrow that same clan with the power of a nation state can abuse its power and oppress you?