Retracing the roots of Somalia conflict

[Jacaylbaro]

 

The Somali conflict dates back to 1978. Civil strife reigned high and culminated in the overthrow of President Siad Barre’s regime on 26 January 1991. Failure to agree on a national political formula plunged the country into intensive civil war and statelessness. A large number of small arms and heavy weapons commonly called ‘technical’ fell into the hands of civilians who formed organised and freelance militias to replace the national defence and police forces. Atrocities committed include human rights abuse, indiscriminate killing of civilians, widespread rape and violence against women and children, arbitrary detention, forced recruitment and use of child soldiers among others.

 

A United States-led humanitarian and nation-building intervention under the auspices of the UN (the Unified Task Force, UNITAF) was initiated in 1993, but was withdrawn in 1995 after a firefight in Mogadishu resulted in US troop casualties. The preceding UN Peacekeeping Operation in Somalia, UNOSOM I and II also withdrew in March 1995. In the aftermath of these’ separate missions, warlords continued to ravage Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.

 

The warlords operating in Mogadishu after the withdrawal of UNOSOM /I were finally defeated by an alliance of Islamic Courts, civil society groups, business community and the general population of Mogadishu early 2006. The Islamic Courts consolidated power and control over Mogadishu, through the establishment of committees and created more courts to form the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

 

The ICU quickly spread its control over most parts of the country through conquest and intimidation.

 

The ICU’s roots can be traced to radical leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a retired Somali Armed Force Colonel, who went about after 1977, establishing Islamic Courts that provided harsh order to Somalia’s anarchic political landscape. Aweys was appointed Secretary General of the Sharia Implementation Council, a group dedicated to unifying Islamic courts under one body and governing Somalia under Islamic law. At the formation of the Islamic Courts Council in 2000 and the merging of independent courts in south Mogadishu, Aweys became the council’s Secretary General. The merger of the courts’ militias raised the largest force in Mogadishu to fight the warlords.

 

After several failed attempts at building a new Somali Unity Government, a two-year peace process, led--by the Government of Kenya, under the auspices of the

 

Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), concluded in October 2004 with the

 

election of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as the Transitional Federal President of Somalia. The process also led the formation of a Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Transitional Federal Institutions (TFls), which up to June 2004, operated from Nairobi.

 

The TFG, since its relocation to Somalia after June 2004, moved its temporal headquarters to Jowhar and thereafter to Baidoa in the Bay Region. However, further progress was hampered by lack of institutional capacity and inadequate resources and external assistance to the TFls. Regional and local governing bodies, based on clan lines, each with its own security system, continued to control various cities and regions in the country. Most significant of these were the warlords that controlled and terrorized inhabitants of Mogadishu.

 

The situation in Somalia changed drastically from what it was when the TFG was formed. The ICU emerged as a major player in Somali politics alongside the TFG, establishing itself as the new reality that controlled Mogadishu and increasing its sphere of influence to other areas thus effectively besieging the TFG in the small enclave of Baidoa.

 

Two rounds of peace talks which took place in Khartoum, Sudan, under the auspices of the League of Arab States did not yield the desired results and the third round failed to take off due to opposing uncompromising positions adopted by both parties.

 

Perceived interferences by some frontline states in the Somali Peace Process, contributed to unnecessary tension and mistrust between the TFG and the ICU. Both sides claim the involvement of external players and countries in providing military and other support to one side or the other. While the TFG claimed that there are international terrorists within the ICU with support from some countries including Eritrea, the ICU counter-alleged that the deployment of Ethiopian forces was in support of the TFG.

 

In light of the worsening security situation in Somalia, the Government of Somalia and the Heads of State of the IGAD on 31 January 2005 resolved in Abuja, Nigeria, to deploy a Peace Support Mission to Somalia. The deployment was endorsed by the African Union.

 

Among the objectives was to support dialogue and reconciliation In Somalia, working with all stakeholders; provide protection to the TFls and their key infrastructure, assist in the implementation of the NSSP, particularly the effective re¬establishment and training of all inclusive Somali security forces and to protect its personnel, installations and equipment, including the right of self-defence.

 

It was further decided that AMISOM would comprise 9 Infantry battalions of 850 personnel each supported by maritime coastal and air components, as well as an appropriate civilian component, including a police training team. The initial deployment was to involve at least 3 infantry battalions, with adequate arrangements for additional battalions to follow quickly. Today only 4300 troops, about 5 battalions, from Uganda and Burundi have been deployed in Somalia.

 

The TFG agreed to the transition of peacekeeping authority in Somalia from AMISOM to the UN.

[Jacaylbaro]

Source

[Haatu]

JB, I'm surprised you included the picture of the Major General (Alla ha u naxariisto).

[Jacaylbaro]

Not me .... look at the source

[Hunguri]

Jaajuumoow got this one Classic!