Somalia – Quest for Stability and Development

President Siad Barre of Somalia was overthrown in 1991. The clans which had united to overthrown him could not agree on a replacement and ignited a conflict that still has not been entirely resolved. In 2004, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was set up. The authority of this government was challenged in 2006 by the rise of the Union of Islamic Courts. This Union seized Mogadishu, which had not been under the full control of the transitional government, in June of that same year. In December, the city was regained by government forces backed by Ethiopian military. In the northwest part of the country, the territory of Somaliland remains autonomous. The region of Puntland also remains semi-autonomous. The BBC reports that up to one million people have died as a result of not only the prolonged fighting between rival warlords, but also due to famine and disease. The United Nations estimates that an additional one million people have become refugees. In March and April of 2007, hundreds of thousands of people fled Mogadishu to escape the worst fighting there in nearly two decades.

The issue of Somalia is important because it remains and unresolved conflict that is almost two decades long. People have been refugees for many years, without neither a permanent home nor way of sustainment. Many are located in the bordering states of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and Yemen. Others keep suffering within Somalia as a result of conflict and the inability of the government to properly take care of its people. The Ethiopian intervention in Somalia reignited tensions between Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, which increased the destabilization of the region.

To resolve the instability and problems of Somalia, it is necessary to come to an agreement not only within the country but also with its bordering states. Ethiopia and Eritrea still have diverging views over their shared border. Eritrea has backed the Union of Islamic Courts while Ethiopia has supported the TFG. Eritrea allegedly gave weapons to the Union during the 2006 conflict in Somalia, so as to draw the Ethiopian troops away from the Eritrea-Ethiopia border. The reliance of the TFG on Ethiopian troops during the conflict has left many Somalis and pro-Union forces refusing to accept the TFG’s legitimacy and rejecting reconciliation initiatives. A mediator is necessary to unite the different groups inside Somalia along with the TGF, such as the African Union or the United Nations. Since France and the United States have interests in the region, they may also become involved in the negotiations. The arms embargo the United Nations has placed on Somalia must be fully enforced with aid from the international community. Nevertheless, the TFG should be allowed to develop a stronger military force, one which is diverse in its composition, so as to prove its authority in Somalia and not have to rely on the Ethiopian military in case of future conflicts. Plans for the reintegration of Somali refugees must be formed and developed to bring back the people to areas in the country where they can develop their own communities and be safe from any conflict. Humanitarian aid must be provided to help the Somali population and refugees create communities and ways of sustenance and development.

In 2000, Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a peace agreement and Ethiopia accepted its new land-locked status. The international community must place emphasis on both nations in maintaining the terms of this peace agreement. Even though the region of Somaliland provides port facilities and trade ties for Ethiopia, another possible resolution to Ethiopia’s lack of an outlet to the ocean should be sought so as to appease the country. Both countries should be discouraged from intervening in Somali affairs.

Coutry Profile – Somalia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072592.stm