Document #1322095
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
According to The Washington Post,
the Somali government recalled many of its senior diplomats posted
around the world. [: Blaine Harden, "Somali Envoy Undiplomatically
Resist Recall Orders", The Washington Post, 26 August 1988.]
There is no specific reference to Somali diplomats in Italy among
sources available to the IRBDC, dealing with the general recall of
Somali diplomats. The recall, which affected about sixty diplomats,
was ordered in May 1988, a day before the SNM offensive in the
north. [ibid.] Mr. Richard Greenfield, a former political advisor
to Siad Barre for nine years, claims that the "recall is focused on
diplomats who belong or are related by marriage to northern
Somalia's Isaak clan, an ethnic group that forms the heart of the
rebel Somali National Movement (SNM)". [ibid.]
The president of the North Somali
Association of Quebec corroborates this and further notes that in
June and July 1989 there was another recall of Somali diplomats
abroad. The source reports that although the majority of
ambassadors are from the Marehan and Dhulbahante clans, the first
and second Secretaries in the embassies were not. It is for this
reason that, according to the source, Siad Barre wanted to replace
the latter diplomats with Marehan ones. Also reported was the fact
that many diplomats had refused to go back to Somalia. [ As stated
by the president of the North Somali Association of Quebec during a
telephone interview with the IRBDC on 25 April 1990.]
The manager of COSTI, Centre for Italian
Scholastic and Technical Organizations located in Toronto, states
that the government had recalled many of its diplomats during the
summer of 1989 to facilitate the reshuffling planned by Siad Barre.
This information was corroborated by an Ottawa based source [ As
stated by a prominant member of the Somali Canadian community in
Ottawa, during a telephone conversation with the IRBDC on 26 April
1990.] who notes that the reason for the recall may have been to
replace the existing personnel with people loyal to Siad Barre.
Another possibility, cited by this source, was the need for the
Somali government to cut its operational expenses by closing some
of the embassies in countries where Somalia has little economic
ties.
All the oral sources stated that although
many diplomats refused to return to Somalia, those that did were
reportedly demoted or imprisoned.
Corroborating information from published
sources is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.
Attached please find a copy of the
following document:
-Blaine Harden, "Somali Envoys
Undiplomatically Resist Recall Orders", The Washington Post,
26 August 1988..