The UN cannot ignore Somalia's plight

[Xudeedi]

The UN cannot ignore Somalia's plight

 

GaroweOnline Editorial:| The TFG was never looked upon as the best solution to Somalia's intertwined crises

 

The United Nations was created to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," according to the Preamble of the UN Charter. Yet, in Somalia, where the "scourge of war" has killed thousands of civilians and displaced tens of thousands of families in 2007, the UN demoted its monumental world peace role and adopted a spectator's "wait-and-see" approach.

 

But exactly what is the UN waiting for? All the signs of destruction are there and today's Somalia is as far from the road to recovery as it was in 1991, when one of Africa's longest and most brutal civil wars began. The UN-endorsed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) cannot even control the national capital Mogadishu, despite the backing of Ethiopian troops and a small contingent of African Union peacekeeping soldiers.

 

The death and destruction, mostly concentrated in Mogadishu, is rooted at the heart of the political struggle in Somalia among different clans and factions. The Ethiopian army is viewed by many Somalis as occupiers, especially by Mogadishu residents who are witness to Ethiopian tanks and the merciless bombardment of civilian neighborhoods. The TFG is indebted to Ethiopia for installing a weak government in the capital, but the opposition – whether political or armed resistance – look at the TFG and Ethiopia as inseparable and, therefore, Ethiopia as part of the problem.

 

The TFG was never looked upon as the best solution to Somalia's intertwined crises. It was a pragmatic response to that country's past statelessness. It was only southern Somalia where no attempt was made to form an autonomous administration; this made life hard for minorities and other unarmed clans because they do not have the backing of armed clan militias. The TFG was expected to lay the foundation for institutions that could help Somalia re-emerge as a reputable nation on the world stage. But the TFG miserably failed in this task. No discernable development was made in many aspects of institution-building. Political feuds have wracked the TFG during its three-year history. Those failures could have been averted had the TFG leadership set its sight on clear nation-building strategies for a country that has had no functioning central government for more than a decade.

 

The Eritrea-based Somali opposition group adds more fuel to the crisis. Made up of members of the Union of Islamic Courts, former warlords and turn-coat clan demagogues, the opposition has no vision other than to prolong Somalia's anguish. They are against the olive branch offered by the TFG Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, because they are micromanaged by the Eritrean government, which is hell-bent on opposing its giant Ethiopian neighbor at all cost. Their dependence on Eritrea has angered Islamist hardliners, some of whom have joined forces with Al-Shabaab, the group believed to be behind the Mogadishu insurgency.

 

The AU has been unable to bolster its peacekeeping force in Mogadishu to the 8,000 troops approved by the continental body. While the AU is a stakeholder in the Somali conflict, it is not the only nation or organization that should be concerned about the deteriorating situation in Somalia. It is the UN's role to pressure other key stakeholders, including Somalia's neighbors, Western governments, and Arab states, to remain consistent about their support for peace in the war-torn Horn of Africa country.

 

Despite its many shortcomings, the UN is viewed in Somalia as a neutral entity, especially when compared to Ethiopian troops. UN blue helmets will be a welcome sight to Mogadishu's demoralized citizens, who are stuck between insurgent bombs and Ethiopian artillery, provided that the groundwork is laid out for the deployment of UN forces.

 

There is no question that Somalia needs to be saved, today more than ever, from the continued "scourge of war." But the UN's silence, in the face of a growing human catastrophe in Somalia, is tantamount to the acceptance of the status quo.

 

If this is the case, then the world should expect nothing but war in Somalia.

 

Garowe Online Editorial, editorial@garoweonline.com

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Soomaali haddaan runta isku sheegno, dhibaatada dalkeena dhamaad la'aanta ah Soomaali kaliya ayaa xal u heli karto. Soomaali saafi, nadiif kaliya ah hadddee hoggaamin lahayeen. Soomaali Soomaalinimada dhab ka tahay.

 

Qaramada Midoobay wax eed ah malaha xaadirkaan. Soomaaliya wey u gurmadeen, oo 32 dal walaa Muslim iyo gaal ah iskugu jiro u gurmaday, the largest ever to happen; Soomaali iyagaana iska soo ceyriye, soo buriye, la dagaalamay, ciidankoodana qoorta ka jaray. Soomaali dhan ma ahayn ee odey qabqable waalan dan siyaasadeed shaqsi ahaan lahaa iyo xulufadiis yarayd ee moooryaaneed la jirtay bas ahayd.

 

I always ask what would have happened had the UNOSOM stayed firmly and had not left prematurely. If only.