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The
African Union Must Devise A Long-Term Somalia
Redemption Project
IDEA
Editorial
November
20, 2011
The
troubled Horn of Africa Region, epitomized by the
torn-apart Somali nation, whose people seem to
have opted for an intriguing and paradoxical
decision to dismember their own country, have never enjoyed tranquility for generations. For all
practical purposes, at this juncture of history,
the Republic of Somalia that prevailed as an
independent nation on the political map between
1960 and 1991 does not exist now. Sadly, now we
have three Somali nations, namely Somaliland,
Puntland, and Mogadishu (the beleaguered Somali
proper), and soon we may witness a fourth Somali
nation: Jubaland.
Outside
Mogadishu, it is the marauding extremists Al
Shabab that rule and govern the people by
intimidation and terror. Although these terrorists
claim to be the liberators of their people, they
are on the contrary the enemy of the Somali
people. They torture, maim, and kill innocent
Somalis; they have mutilated hundreds of Somali
youth as form of punishment; they are the curse of
Somalia that came out from its womb, and they are
constant reminders of destruction and instability
vis-ŕ-vis the relative peace the Somalis enjoyed
in the post-independence era. There is no doubt,
some Somalis now would be nostalgic of Said Barre,
a dictator but nonetheless a juvenile delinquent
compared to the Al Shabab and the killing fields
of Somalia.
The
above extrapolation of current Somali affairs is
the true image of Somalia, but the Somalis, like
any other people, are good-natured human beings.
Violence is not in their genes but some of them
became violent due to unfortunate circumstances.
However, the bulk of the Somali people are
peaceful and they are the victims of terror and
famine; of the latter group, millions have made it
to Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, the Middle East,
Europe, and North America. Millions are still
trapped in the inferno of senseless civil war.
The
Somali nation is in complete disarray; its
traditional law (Xeer) and its dispute settling
revered elders (Guurti) are long gone, and its
modern state apparatus has crumbled ignominiously.
The Somalis need help from the global community
and from Africa. The African Union (AU) has a
historical duty to extend not only temporary
relief to the Somalis but also long-term
redemption projects to revive Somalia and
alleviate the condition of the people.
Military
intervention alone is not going to solve the
Somali problem. The Somali problem, after all, is
complex and compounded and the AU should make a
careful diagnosis of the problem and come up with
lasting prescription (solution). It is true that
the Al Shabab provoked and attacked now Uganda and
now Kenya and the latter two countries in response
conducted punitive expeditions. Their actions are
justified to some extent, but they could not
salvage Somalia from its carnage.
The
AU must devise a Comprehensive Somalia Redemption
Project (CSRP) that includes military operations
against Al Shabab and projects of reconstruction
and development to remake Somalia and uplift the
spirit of its people. The United Nations should
take the initiative in undertaking development
programs such as rebuilding the infrastructure,
schools, and clinics etc, followed by sound
macroeconomic policy to revitalize basic
agriculture and industry.
Development
programs, however, cannot be realized when the
most important precondition to development (peace)
is conspicuously absent in Somalia. Thus the AU
must seriously consider, that 1) peace must first
be accomplished; and 2) peace could be attained if
the many contending Somali groups (the new Somali
mini-states) negotiate on a round table, and the
AU mediate and facilitate the peace process.
In
light of the above preconditions, thus, the
African Union must rethink its “decision to
sending Ethiopian troops to Somalia” (the New
York Times, November 18, 2011). The redeployment
of Ethiopian forces to Somalia could exacerbate
the situation on the ground unless it is coupled
by CSRP, suggested above.
On
behalf the Institute of Development and Education
for Africa (IDEA)
Ghelwdewos
Araia, PhD
All
Rights Reserved. Copyright © IDEA, Inc. 2011.
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