Fahad Yasin, the former master of Somalia’s intelligence apparatus and trusted advisor to ex-President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, has launched a brazen campaign to reshape the narrative of his former administration’s legacy. This endeavor not only seeks to polish the tarnished image of the Farmaajo era but also aims to tarnish the reputation of the current government in Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. Ironically, Fahad Yasin accuses these entities of the very transgressions that many observers attribute to his own political machinations.
Unmasking Fahad Yasin’s Accusations
The irony of Fahad Yasin’s accusations resonates deeply with those who have closely monitored Somalia’s political evolution. His claims that the current administrations in Mogadishu and Puntland serve foreign interests clash starkly with the widely held perception that the Farmaajo government, under Fahad Yasin’s influential guidance, operated as a thinly veiled conduit for Qatari influence. This perception gained strength from the conspicuous influx of Qatari funds that appeared to fuel the administration’s efforts to project a nationalist image—an image that many viewed as more style than substance.
Somalia’s political manipulation reached unprecedented heights during Fahad Yasin’s tenure, blurring the lines between national interest and personal agenda to the point of indistinguishability. The Farmaajo administration’s handling of the Abdikarim Qalbidhagax affair stands as a damning testament to this conflation of priorities. Qalbidhagax, a commander in the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and an officer in the Somali National Army, fell victim to an extraordinary rendition that shocked many and raised troubling questions about the administration’s commitment to protecting its citizens.
The decision to extradite Qalbidhagax, a Somali citizen, to Ethiopia—a country with which Somalia has maintained a complex and often adversarial relationship—defied easy explanation. This betrayal cut deep into the psyche of many Somalis, who viewed it as a capitulation to foreign interests at the expense of national sovereignty. The subsequent designation of the ONLF as a terrorist organization by the Farmaajo administration only deepened suspicions about the true allegiances of those in power.
This incident, perhaps more than any other, exposes the hollow core of Yasin’s current rhetoric. His accusations against Puntland for its willingness to engage with Ethiopia ring particularly false when juxtaposed against his own administration’s actions. The cognitive dissonance required to reconcile these contradictory stances is staggering, yet it epitomizes the kind of political manipulation that has long plagued Somalia’s governance.
By casting himself and the Farmaajo administration as stalwart defenders of Somali nationalism, Fahad Yasin engages in a sophisticated form of propaganda that relies on the selective memory of the public and the malleability of historical narratives.The Farmaajo administration’s actions, particularly in its dealings with regional powers and its handling of internal dissent, often betrayed a willingness to compromise national interests for political expediency. The extraordinary rendition of Qalbidhagax and the labeling of the ONLF as a terrorist organization were part of a broader pattern of behavior that raised serious questions about the administration’s true priorities.
The accusation that Puntland serves foreign interests by maintaining relations with Ethiopia ignores the complex realities of regional politics and the necessity of diplomatic engagement, even with historical adversaries. It also conveniently overlooks the Farmaajo administration’s own history of cooperation with Ethiopia, including the controversial extradition of Qalbidhagax.
