Mohamed's Mission spans the fall of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, the rise of Mengistu Haile Mariam and the Soviet Derg, and the attempt by the Somalian dictatorial president, Ziad Barre, to reconquer Ethiopian territory that was once considered part of Greater Somalia before western powers divvied up the Horn of Africa. Those arbitrary national boundaries fractured previous clan territorial arrangements on all sides of Somalia, ensuring conflict in the future.
Mohamed Osmaan's life threads through the story, a light trace illuminating the plight of the Oromo, the largest ethnonation in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. The reader witnesses the heavy hand of the naftagna, and deaths from cholera and famine due to wilful government negligence. Mohamed, his character strengthened by his devotion to Allah and the Quraan, resolves many disputes, consoles the mistreated, and brings justice to bear within a violent environment, and in so doing suffers frequent imprisonment and torture.
Mohamed parlays a collaboration between the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) founded by Jaarraa Abbaa Gadaa and the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF), and is responsible for an all-Oromo three-battallion Saddahaad within the WSLF, which serves to protect the many defenceless, neutral Oromo villages in the battle zone during the Ethio-Somali war, and chases off Somali rebel bandits afterwards. Befriending members of the Afran Qalloo Network and village elders along the way, Mohamed forges an escape route to Hargeeysa that allows prominent and homeless Oromos to flee Ethiopian persecution.
Before becoming a member of the diaspora, Mohamed sought to unify the two OLF factions: one under the command of Jaarraa, the other led by Leencoo Lattaa. Realizing a divided OLF would remain ineffective, he traveled to Saudi Arabia to try to persuade the powerful Sheekh Amaan to negotiate a reconciliation. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. While in Saudi, he experienced Hajj.
These are some of the highpoints. There is so much more!...
Contributor Bio: Osmaan, Mohamed
Originally born in the rural village of Laga Gabaa in eastern Harargee, Ethiopia, Mohamed Osmaan now resides in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife, two sons and his daughter. He enjoys time with his family, is an active member of the city's Oromo community as well as the Oromo diaspora....