ABSTRACT: Mohamed Aden Sheikh, a Somali surgeon who studied and specialized in Italy, was one of the most important political leaders in Somalia during the nineteen seventies, when the regime of Siad Barre attempted a radical transformation of the pastoral society in the name of "scientific socialism".

First imprisoned for political motives in 1975, Sheikh was arrested again in 1982, accused of "conspiracy". Following a far-reaching international campaign, he was freed in 1989, and has become a member of the transnational Radical Party. This is what Mohamed Aden had to say to Radical Radio.

(THE PARTY new - n. 6 - march 1992)

Radical Radio "Civil war in Somalia has already left 40,000 dead. Why do we no longer hear anything about Somalia?"

Aden Sheik "In actual fact, the figure of 40,000 dead refers only to the Mogadishu area and the South. In the North, I'd say that there are at least another 30,000 dead, and that was before Siad Barre fell. We hear little about Somalia for a number of reasons: the fall of Siad Barre and the seizure of power by armed factions was overshadowed by the Gulf War, the fall of the regimes in Eastern Europe, the crisis in Yugoslavia."

R.R. "A few days ago a UN peace mission came to an end. In Mogadishu, still split in two, people continue to die. Is there space enough for mediation between the two clashing factions, one of President Al Mahdi, the other of General Mohammed Farah Aidid, both of which refer to the United Somali Congress?"

Aden Sheik "First of all, Mogadishu is not Somalia. Then, as with every civil war though in this case it is a marked absence of the civil, for the victims are poor people, the defenceless, those who have no bargaining power, the weakest members of every clan it is a matter of when the factions tire of fighting. Back in January I called for UN intervention, with a limited peace-keeping contingent acting as a force to separate the combattants, to allow the Somalis a period of truce, of reflection and reconciliation. This proposal has not been taken up by many Somalis, who believe themselves in a position to impose certain conditions, but I believe that today they see that they were wrong."

R.R. "Why is it that the OAU (Organization for African Unity), which stepped in during the crisis in Liberia, has not managed to intervene in Somalia?"

Aden Sheik "I think that the OAU has never solved any of Africa's problems. The Liberia intervention was made by a handful of countries in West Africa that decided to intervene in the Liberian crisis and sent in a buffer force. The OAU does not have its own forces, and the same is true of the countries in East Africa."

R.R. "Precedents would not allow direct Ethiopian intervention in the situation?"

Aden Sheik "Without a doubt. But Ethiopia today is a different country. Now Ethiopia is governed by men who have fought both Hailè Selassie's imperialism and Mengistu's bloody dictatorship, and they believe in the necessity of accepting autonomy and selfdetermination of all regions. These are leaders who are pondering over a more general shape for the Horn of Africa."

R.R. "You made an analogy between Somalia and Croatia. Marco Pannella has suggested the setting up of nonviolent brigades for Somalia too, to help put an end to the conflict. do you see this as a practical alternative?"

Aden Sheik "I believe that whatever form it takes, intervention is necessary. But an intervention like the one carried out by Pannella and other companions seems to me to be at this moment rather difficult if not unsafe. I would suggest a committee of friends and companions to go to countries near Somalis, such as Kenya and Djibuti, to lay the foundations for a process of understanding among Somalis and to find out the real situation in Somalia."

R.R. "In your speech to Congress, you mentioned the Radical Party initiative in favour of your release from prison. What did this mean to you?"

Aden Sheik "When a person is isolated for years and in a state of loneliness, he thinks that outside, other people are speaking, listening to music, eating, living a normal life, without the least idea of what is going on inside, beyond those walls, it is a desperate feeling. What kept me and many others going was the fact that outside there were friends thinking of us."

R.R. "Why did you join the Radical Party?"

Aden Sheik "Because the Radical Party is a party that goes beyond parties. It's Ghandian approach fascinated me, because the themes involved are universal. It is the start of a more general kind of understanding, beyond the straitjackets of borders. It does not tie you down: the fact that somebody is a member of the Radical Party does not prevent him or her from speaking or holding a dialogue with other political formations and forces. This universality is also important, as it pushes us all to think again about mankind and the concept of solidarity."