Terrorism Gains New Grounds In Somalia

EDITORIAL

The current “Somali peace process” which was jointly initiated in October 2002 by IGAD and the EU, has proved to be a total failure not only in terms of installing an effective government for Somalia but also in terms of forestalling the conditions that serve as a breeding ground for terrorism.

Since its formation in Kenya in 2004, the “Transitional Federal Government” of Somalia has been paralyzed by factionalism and an internal power struggle. And the regional and international sponsors of the so-called Somali peace process have been doing nothing for over the last one year and a halve except trying to end the conflict within the TFG itself.

To bring the bickering to a stop, the EU, in collaboration with the UN, had orchestrated the convening of a meeting for Somalia’s parliament in Baidoa on last February. The event was hailed by both the EU and the UN as a milestone for Somalia’s reconciliation for no other reason except that the parliament was meeting on home soil for the first time since the TFG was crafted. But renewed optimism soon faded away as the Baidoa meeting, which is technically still in session, even failed to attempt resolving the chronic differences within the TFG’s own leadership let alone addressing the so many serious security issues faced by Somalia.

In the meanwhile religious extremist groups in Somalia wasted no time in advancing Islamic radicalism among the disillusioned local population. Armed militiamen fighting for the fundamentalist Islamic courts in Mogadishu won a stunning military victory last month over their rival forces of the new “Anti-terror Alliance”, which was formed earlier this year from a cluster of clan militia loyal to some of the most notorious warlords in the city. Though it is still premature to dismiss Mogadishu’s warlords as finished, however there is no doubt that the Islamic courts, which openly advocate for the establishment of a Taliban style government in Somalia, have dramatically increased their power and influence in the country since the formation of the TFG.

While the EU and the UN were spending millions of dollars in payments to the TFG’s leaders, parliament and “encamped militiamen”, fundamentalist groups distributed aid in the form of food, medicine and water to drought stricken citizens across the county. The obsession of the EU and the UN with the fate of the TFG has had implications not only for millions of drought victims in Somalia, but also for the wider regional efforts aimed at winning hearts and minds of people living in areas that constitute potential breeding grounds for future terrorists.

For example, people in Somaliland have been unable to digest why the EU was treating a bunch of war criminals and gangsters as the TFG as a government worth supporting while at the same denying much needed developmental assistance to the democratically elected government of peaceful Somaliland.

It is not uncommon in Somaliland these days to hear people wondering bitterly how come that Somaliland has so far been struggling against terrorism alone without anyone in the west showing support, or whether it would be wise for Somaliland to continue engaging itself in a lonely fight against a foe that has world-wide allies and certainly more resources than it does.

With the TFG in shambles and even more reluctant than ever to establish itself in Mogadishu, it is not unlikely to see people in Somalia flocking to fundamentalism in the near future as a last resort for staying alive. This dangerous trend could be reversed if the international community was wise enough to do two things: 1) support the people of Somalia resolve their own problems or give conflict a chance to burnt itself out; 2) create a powerful incentive for Somalia’s warring factions including the fundamentalist groups to come to their sense by recognizing the republic of Somaliland. An independent and recognized Somaliland would be a bulwark against extremism and terrorism and a regional model for democracy and the rule of law.

Source: Somaliland Times

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