Somalia and Somalis

It is tragic to see the continuing violence and instability in Somalia. It is not clear to me if the recent development is an opportunity or a start of another cycle of violence and the displacement of millions of Somalis. In fact, what is happening today in Somalia and in the sub region as a whole is in part the failure of the international community to support the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia. The ongoing violence, kidnappings, killings and reemergence of Al-Shabab in the sub region is partly a result of the involvement of external forces to lead the Somalis internal power dynamics.

In the past, a number of humanitarian intervention attempts failed to bring an end to the problem in Somalia. The Operation Restore Hope ended after the so-called Black Hawk Down incident of 1993. Ethiopia had tens of thousands of troops in Somalia for two years but failed to root out the Al-Shebab and ensure a robust TNG effort. The Ethiopian intervention was politically motivated and dragged the war torn nation into another cycle of violence. The African Union peace keeping mission that continues with its dwarf resources and expertise dragged the nation into nothing but another cycle of violence.

Following the kidnappings of two Spanish aid workers last week and the abductions of British and French women in recent weeks, Kenyan Minister of Internal Security George Saitoti said Kenyan forces will pursue Al-Shabab militants into Somalia. Nairobi’s unprecedented military incursion into Somalia triggered dire warnings by a top Shebab leader of bloody retaliation. It is not clear how long the Kenyan mission intend to stay. It sounds like we may experience de’j vu yet again soon.

The fundamental question is why does Somalia continue to be a disaster? Who is in Al-Shabab? Where did they get funding? Why are they gaining momentum time and again, why do they fail to negotiate, why the UN and the African Union failed to ban the supply chain? And again when will be the end for Kenyan intervention there? Whatever is happening in Somalia, it will definitely affect the fragile security and drought situation in the region.

It must be acknowledged that no single force in Somalia has unlimited power to do whatever they want to the Somalis, to commit whatever crimes it sees fit. According to a report of the International Human Right groups, the African Union, Kenya troops and the Al-Shabab forces have all been sponsoring and supporting destruction of life, property, and deliberate acceleration of human suffering which pose a serious challenge to the fundamental values of peace, security, and human dignity enshrined in the Charter of the UN.

It must be clear to any one that peace in Somali can be achieved with the engagement of the international community, the broader public, including civil society organizations, clan leaders, and the Islamist group. Combating terrorism was used in the past to violate the rights of the Somalia people who ask for freedom and withdrawal of foreign forces from their historic land. If the international community continues to allow the use of force in Somalia, it unwittingly gives a vote for the continuation of humanitarian crisis, drought, increased destabilization and an inevitable encouragement of terrorism.

The international community must start to rethink before initiating another round of humanitarian intervention. International support should focus on building the capacity of the Transitional Government to forge a genuine government of national unity. Such actions and effort to restore peace in Somalia should come with a clear mandate. If that is not the pattern, Al-Shabab will gradually find growing purchase among Somalia’s despairing and disaffected citizenry, and it will only be a matter of time before another group of militants succeeds in mounting a spectacular terrorist attack against foreign interests in Somalia or against anyone anywhere.

The phenomenon of terrorism is one of the most dangerous challenges facing the international community. Terrorism was a threat to all countries. It is recognized that no matter how effective national measures are, no single country will able to counter the threat of terrorism on its own. Hence, we must work closely with partners and beyond on intelligence exchange and counter-terrorism. The international community could combat terrorism either by force, or by peaceful means. Peaceful means must be exhausted first.

The writer can be reached at [email protected]