“America is Somalia’s biggest supporter and one of our closest allies. The American government has recognized the Federal Government of Somalia and is actually helping to train our forces and is also at the forefront in helping to reconstruct back Somalia. We have nothing to give them back and the least we could do is hand over the remains of the chopper to the government,” Prime Minister Shirdon said.
Mogadishu – Sometimes in September this year, Somalia allowed an American war museum to have the remains of a US fighter chopper brought down 20 years ago by clan militias in Mogadishu during the disastrous 1993 United Nations International Somalia Mission (UNISOM) vividly captured by the famous Hollywood movie Black Hawk Down.
The remains – which have been collecting dust at a Mogadishu backyard near the famous Bakara market – was donated to the Special Operations War Museum in Fort Bragg, USA, bringing to a close one of Somalia’s most written about story of its violent past about the bringing down of the US fighter chopper Black Hawk in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993 during the onset of the civil war in Somalia.
Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said Somalia currently enjoys a cordial working relationship with the US government and that out of the American goodwill shown to the Somali people and his government in these tough economic times, Somalia decided to hand over the remains of the American chopper to a war museum in order to give the American public an opportunity to view the remains.
“America is Somalia’s biggest supporter and one of our closest allies. The American government has recognized the Federal Government of Somalia and is actually helping to train our forces and is also at the forefront in helping to reconstruct back Somalia. We have nothing to give them back and the least we could do is hand over the remains of the chopper to the government,” Prime Minister Shirdon said.
The remains were shipped from Mogadishu in July with the help of an American private security firm belonging to an American couple living in Mogadishu whose philanthropic action is likely to improve relations between US and Somalia.
AMISOM peacekeepers in Somali also took part in the historic event by crucially safeguarding the Black Hawk Down remains at the Mogadishu seaport during its shipment.
Speaking from the US city of Minnesota in Minneapolis where he is attending a Somalia Diaspora consultative meeting organized by AMISOM, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and head of AMISOM hailed Somalia for its thoughtful decision to hand over the remains to the US government.
“Somalia is slowly recovering from its dark past and I am so pleased to see such a rare benevolent act from the Somalis to return the remains of the Black Hawk Down to its rightful owners, the American people. We hope that this will finally rest the sad events that transpired during that dark history of Somalia and instead usher in a peaceful era in Somalia. AMISOM is ready to stand with the Somalis in their quest to a peaceful and prosperous Somalia,” Ambassador Annadif said.
America’s most watched CBS television series 60 minutes, documented the story behind the shipment of the Black Hawk Down remains from Somalia to the US and aired it days before and after the October 3, 20th anniversary of the Black Hawk Down incident.
The latest gesture from the Somalis is likely to help its cause of seeking more support for their fledgling government that needs massive support as it struggles to battle out the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab militants who are out to destabilize the country which slowly healing from the effects of one of Africa’s longest civilian conflicts.
Ordinary Americans working in Mogadishu welcomed the move.
“This brings to a close the Black Hawk Down saga and opens a new door of friendship between Somalia and America. The Somali gesture will help with the healing process and acceptance by family members who lost their beloved ones in Somalia when the chopper was brought down. We can only say thank you so much to the Somali people for their thoughtful gesture, I hope my fellow Americans will laud this rare gesture from the Somalis,” said a lady US expatriate working in Somalia who did not wish to be named.
