﷽ ✍ #History
🚨 History of Hizbia Digil Mirifle (HDMS)
What Southwest Leaders Told the World in 1948 and Why It Still Matters Today
In 1948, as Somalia’s future was being decided, the Four-Power Commission, representing the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France, arrived in Mogadishu to hear from Somali communities.
Among those who spoke was Hizbia Digil Mirifle (HDMS), representing what is today Southwest Somalia.
On January 24, 1948, during the 15th Hearing, the delegation included Sheikh Abdullahi Mohamed “Begedi,” President and founder of HDMS, and Abukar Qassim, Vice President.
Sheikh Begedi spoke clearly on behalf of his people:
“I wish to request three things:
1⃣ We want peace and security.
2⃣ We want our country to always be seen as belonging to us; we want to be consulted first.
3⃣ Others may live with us, but the land belongs to us.”
When asked if they would accept Italian administration, he replied:
“We were told there are 40 governments united together in the UN, and we would accept any that are good for us.”
✿ He added:-
“Under the Italian government, the country was safe, but labor was forced.”
He made it clear they would accept any administration except Ethiopia.
This record, preserved in United Nations archives, shows that HDMS was not pro-Italian, but pragmatic. They were seeking peace, dignity, and governance that respected their people.
Today, this history is not just the past, it is a warning.
There are growing concerns that authority is being pulled back to Mogadishu in ways that risk ignoring these same principles.
✿ For generations.
Southwest leaders and communities have asked for the same things:
►Peace.
►Dignity.
►Consultation.
►Respect for their role in shaping their future.
These are not temporary political demands; they are long-standing principles.
Ignoring them risks repeating past mistakes.
Sustainable governance in Somalia cannot be built through centralization alone.
It must rely on partnership, trust, and respect.
History has already spoken.
The question is whether we are ready to listen.
With respect,
Sheiknor Abucar Qassim
