Somalia’s UN ambassadorship offer was effectively a command to leave the country

Evidence

Seeing that Barre was set on this idea and knowing the ruthlessness of the regime, Hussen realized that Barre was uncomfortable with him being in the country, and so he told the general that he would think about the offer. Hussen decided to consult with his friends and close colleagues. He organized a group lunch with them in a bush restaurant outside Mogadishu, and after a long discussion all agreed that they were concerned for his safety and that he must accept the offer and leave the country. He separately met with Osman for consultation, who told him that there was no security in the country to protect citizen’s rights. He added that he personally worried about the safety of his eldest son, Abdulkadir, who was harassed by the regime. Given these circumstances Osman urged Hussen to take the offer and leave the country for the time being. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1060

Categorization

• SEED: The pattern of dictatorships coercing former leaders into ‘honorable’ ambassadorial exile mirrors many post-coup African and postcolonial histories — an essay on exile-as-soft-punishment could draw on it.