The late prominent Sudanese journalist, Sayyid Ahmad Khalifah, who interviewed many Somali personalities (both civil war and government actors) wrote this piece (excerpt of a long editorial in Asharq Al-Awsat) in December 1991 (food for thought — from a foreign observer):

“Mogadishu is nearly a 90-minute flight from Nairobi, and I spent that time with a book on the Maghreb people and their struggle to stay within the domain of Arab history and heritage, and the Islamic religion. But there is an Arab Islamic land that we are losing, or are about to lose, because its people, who are united by religion are divided by tribalism.

I reviewed in my mind the outcome of the Somali developments over the years–developments which peaked, not started, with the end of Siad Barre’s regime last January. The outcome of my review was as follows:

Ninenty percent of this country’s educated citizens are abroad now, mostly in Europe, where they are losing their identity. The few who are in the neighbouring countries are immersed in an effort to deal with the problems of this afflicted country, but to no avail.

Nearly half a million families, consisting mostly of children, have either settled or are seeking stability in Europe or the United States. As a first step, they are relinquishing their convinctions, cultures, and traditions. This concession may include religion in the long run, when an entire Somali generation grows up in the diaspora and follows its rugged paths.

The Somali educational apparatus and its collapsed system will now be replaced by educational systems and methods from countries which have their own educational concepts. The Somali student will have to either accept these concepts or reject them and enjoy his ignorance.

The Somali Government and all its institutions have collapsed. There is no ruler and no ruled, except for the remnants of some “ethnics and values” which will not stand fast for long in the face of the “coming dark days” when people, or whatever remains in this dangerous jungle, where anarchy is destroying both strong and weak, run out of patience. The strong are confronted by those who are stronger, and the cycle will be completed when all are destroyed.”