By Deus Ngowi
SOLUTION to problems of Somali immigrants in Lewiston, Maine seems nowhere in sight, as Islamic militants continue with tense fighting back home.
The refugees who started entering United States and selecting cities for settlement in the late 1990s, are said to be comfortable with Lewiston, due to its low crime rate, good schools and cheap housing, as opposed to their former destination – Clarkston, Georgia, which they contend to have local criminals.
Speaking with Tanzanian journalists who are on exchange program at the Maine University, a Leader of Somali Society in Lewiston, Dr. Said Mohamoud, said they are geared toward uniting Africans who came from civil wars, so that they break barriers and move forward. However, he stopped shot of saying when and how was he and fellow Somalis were planning to go back to their country.
Said who is also a Founding President of African Immigrants Association in Lewiston, said he had a wish to go back to Somalia, but it is not easy as his children already with cultural mix, cannot be ready for a return. Said, who is preparing himself to establish a political organization, expressed grief that there were no democracy, good governance nor human rights in his country.
Speaking on the Somali issue two days ago, Professor Kristin Longellier of Maine University, said up to now there are about 3,500 Somalis and other African in Lewiston and it is rumored that more Somalis are on their way to US for settlement. She noted that reasons for refugees influx may be loss of hope.
While Professor Kristin speaks of lost of hope, Somalis back home are locked in horns, in an infinite war, killing at day broad light. A Somali journalist, Ahmed-Tajir Omar Hashi was quoted by the BBC saying that he witnessed his boss (of Radio Shabelle) being shot, while they were walking in Mogadishu's Bakara market, becoming a fifth journalist to be killed this year in Somalia.
"I was hit in the left hand and the bullet passed into my left side above the kidney. It felt as if I was hit with a little stone. I did not know what it was because I had never been shot before. When I looked back, I saw Muktar Mohamed Hirabe lying on the ground and a man with a hand-gun standing above him. Then, I realized that I was in trouble and ran for my life.
"I touched my left side which was wet with blood. I felt a twinge in my stomach, probably where the bullet came out and when I ran my hand over it, one of my fingers went into the bullet hole. I was running fast but I glanced back and I saw the young gunman shooting my colleague in the head again. He then fired a shot in my direction. I went into a building to escape," he narrated, nursing injuries at a hospital.
Speaking to the Tanzanian journalists in City Chambers, Lewiston Mayor, Laurent F. Gilbert Sr. and Deputy City Administrator, Phil Nadeu said the administration was ready to take steps for relocating the refugees, only that the Federal Government had not dished out money for the project.
Mayor Gilbert Sr. served twenty five years on the Lewiston Police Department rising through the ranks to chief of police, a position he held for five years before retiring, said Lewiston is not an area for settling refugees, and that relocation succeeds when the community responds positively.
Nadeu, with support of The Mayor, said that they hoped relocation would start in 2002 but to date nothing has been done. However, he added that they are hopeful money will be dished out and the important things to consider are where to relocate them, affordability of houses and what exactly they are entitled to.
To astonishment of some of those present, Mayor Gilbert Sr. said he guessed that Somalis will increase and in no time, they will start filing themselves in leadership rows, as it is the case with other immigrants, such as those from Irish.
It will be recalled that on October 2002, the then Mayor Laurier T. Raymond wrote an open letter addressed to leaders of the Somali community, predicting a negative impact on the city's social services and requesting that they discourage further relocation to Lewiston.
The letter angered some people and prompted some community leaders and residents to speak out against the mayor, drawing national attention. Demonstrations were held in Lewiston, both by those who supported the Bantus' presence and those who opposed it. The Mayor had expressed his view that more influx of refugees would deny his people room for breathing and warned that finances were limited.
While now Mayor Gilbert Sr. forms a controversial opinion, Said, back at the downtown Lewiston Mogadishu Store, says they are happy there, as their business (Somalis’ shops) is growing fairly well, although he notes that they cannot keep big families in America.
He insists that the only assets they came with were children and now they must look for money. He says he cannot afford again his family going back home and ending up at bad houses. Now, as he plans a political party, Said says it will have intellectuals who will support social democracy, a kind of which is practices in Scandinavian countries.
He insists of not going back to Somalia, and says there are other intellectuals and technicians who are not ready to go back, because only those who know and are able to live by the rule of a gun can be there. He blames all those supporting Islamic militants and who supply arms to warlords.
Senior editors with the Sun Journal, also had time to interact with the Tanzanian journalists about the Somali refugees, who reside near their offices. They noted that such is a cross – cutting issue, along economic, business concerns as well as social lines and hence it has been necessary to be addressed in their papers.
Led by Executive Editor, Rex H. Rhoades and Editorial Page Editor, Tony Ronzio, the officers, at their offices in Lewiston yesterday, recalled how first the issue brought criticism and hostility in the community. It came to pass that while the refugees were relocating in Lewiston, a US soldier from the same neighborhood was killed in Mogadishu, hence ignited chaos.
Also, the taxpayers of Lewiston could not understand how their money was used to educate Somali children in Lewiston schools, while they could collect tax in Somalia to accomplish the same task. The children firs faced problems with language and catching up with natives, but now after getting special program they go on well and there are first Somali graduates at Lewiston high schools.
Group of Islamist insurgents, including Al-Shabab are terrorizing Somalia. Al – Shabab are demanding everybody to accept that they are fighting a holy war for the benefit of all Somali people. Information Minister, Farhan Ali was quoted as saying that the government knows the killings are the work of groups that are against peace in Somalia and there will be a day when they will be held responsible for their actions.
There has been heavy fighting in Mogadishu and neighborhoods for a number of years now whereby a lot of people have been killed, injured or forced to their homes. Ethiopia is said to resent her forces there after recent withdrawals. Uganda has accepted a call from Somali Parliament to send troops to help bring peace.
Somalia has remained unstable since the fall of President Muhammed Siad Barre 27 January 1991. After him, the horn of Africa country was led by interim presidents; Ali Mahdi Mohamed, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who is at the helm.
Lewiston city which was founded in 1795 has been referred to as ‘Mill Town’, ‘City of Immigrants’ and ‘Most Franco American City’ in US. In 1840 it witnessed migration of Irish, while between 1840 – 1930 it was a turn of French Canadian migrations. Eight mills were built from 1852 – 1866 and the city saw outmigration and decline between 1959 and 2001
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