The Somalia Conundrum

Somalia (BBC Country Profile) is a nation dealing with drought, famine, and political instability. It has not has a formal government since 1991. It has a transitional government which is backed by the United Nations, but not by the United States. According to the BBC country profile, and the CIA World Factbook*, Somalia became and independent from the UK and Italy in 1960. In 1970, then President of Somalia, Said Barre, proclaimed Somalia a socialist state and aligned with the USSR. He was overthrown in 1991, and there has been no formal government since that time.

Somalia has no industry to speak of, so why is it important to the United States. There are several reasons. while its natural resources are relatively undeveloped, it has " uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves" (CIA World Factbook). It is also has " strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal" (CIA World Factbook). In President Bush's "war on terror," it has also become a player because of the "Islamist" presence, and the conflict for power there.

"More than a decade after U.S. troops withdrew from Somalia following a disastrous military intervention, officials of Somalia's interim government and some U.S. analysts of Africa policy say the United States has returned to the African country, secretly supporting secular warlords who have been waging fierce battles against Islamic groups for control of the capital, Mogadishu." Wa. Post, 5/17/06

There seems little doubt that the U.S. has been backing the warlords rather than the transitional government (DemocracyNow, 5/18/06, Wa. Post, 5/17/06). Which is perhaps what caused them to merge in 2005. "Soon after, the coalition of warlords were well-equipped with rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and antiaircraft guns, which were used in heavy fighting in the capital last week. It was the second round of fighting this year, following clashes in March that killed more than 90 people, mostly civilians, and emptied neighborhoods around the capital.

This arming of the warlords took place in spite of UN embargo on weapons to Somalia. The purported reason for backing the warlords?

""The U.S. relies on buying intelligence from warlords and other participants in the Somali conflict, and hoping that the strongest of the warlords can snatch a live suspect or two if the intelligence identifies their whereabouts," said John Prendergast, the director for African affairs in the Clinton administration and now a senior adviser at the nongovernmental International Crisis Group. " Wa. Post, 5/17/06

So, on the hopes of getting "a live suspect or two," the United States supports and provides arms (over an embargo) in a battle that is killing who knows how many people. Further, rather than address the sincere need of a people dying of in the midst of drought and famine, the U.S. provides weapons:

"Soon after, the coalition of warlords were well-equipped with rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and antiaircraft guns, which were used in heavy fighting in the capital last week. It was the second round of fighting this year, following clashes in March that killed more than 90 people, mostly civilians, and emptied neighborhoods around the capital." (Wa. Post 5/16/06)

Despite U.S. backing of the warlords, the "Islamists" now control Mogadishu. The have named a person from the U.S. terrorist watch list - Hassan Dahir Aweys - to be their leader (BBC, 8/25/06). In what has been called a "u-turn," the US seeks Somali Islamists' help in getting three suspects from the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing (Comoran Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Kenyan Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, Sudanese Abu Taha al-Sudani).

If the fueling of the Somalian conflict is part of the war on terrorism, it is also good for the arms dealers. One must ask though whether fueling conflict in the face of human suffering is the best strategy to win the "war." I am not alone in that question.

Africa researchers said they were concerned that while the Bush administration was focused on the potential terrorist threat, little was being done to support economic development initiatives that could provide alternative livelihoods to picking up a gun or following extremist ideologies in Somalia. Somalia watchers and Somalis themselves said there has not been enough substantial backing for building a new government after 15 years of collapsed statehood.

"If the real problem is Somalia, then what have we done to change the situation inside Somalia? Are we funding schools, health care or helping establish an effective government?" Dagne said. "We have a generation of Somali kids growing up without education and only knowing violence and poverty. Unless there is a change, these could become the next warlords out of necessity for survival. That's perhaps the greatest threat we have yet to address." (Wa. Post 5/16/06)

Articles of Interest
For some unknown reason I cannot save this article if I give an active link to the CIA World Factbook. Here is the URL for the reference: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/so.html

6/22/06 BBC, US seeks Somali Islamists' help

2/16/06 BBC, Somalis die of thirst in drought

5/10/05 BBC, Somali warlords 'to merge forces'

6/25/06 Duhul, AP, Somali Militia Head Tied to Bin Laden

6/22/06 Tomlinson, Mail& Guardian, Somali warlords' defeat welcomed

6/19/06 UPI, U.S. support of Somali warlords at issue

Posted by rowan at June 26, 2006 8:42 AM | [eMail this article!] |