Somalia: The Playground of Humanitarian ‘Pirates’

[Abtigiis]

I am officially beside myself with fury, I am fuming, I am fumbling; you get the picture! The devious ‘lords of poverty’ are turning a whole nation into beggars in the name of humanitarianism. These humanitarian ‘pirates’ erected a lucrative empire on the skeletons of starving Somalis for over two decades and the foreboding is as frightening as it is angering. At the risk of inviting another spiteful indictment of swarming the forum with inane topics from SOL’s nabobs of negativity, I am writing to you from Adden Adde International Airport. The sight I saw is depressing. This Somali nation needs much more than I ever imagined. It needs a reconstruction of the scale of Marshallian proportions. It needs much more than an uninitiated Sharif and a frail TFG can ever offer. It needs more than Xinnfanin’s caravan stupor. It needs more than Mahiga. It begs for a revolution from its sons and daughters.

 

In the last week of July 2011, a famine was declared in parts of Southern Somalia. In the same week, it was hard to find a table and a bed in the exquisite restaurants and Hotels of Nairobi. The Kenyan capital was invaded by an army of humanitarian workers armed with laptops and projectors. You would think the hungry people in Somalia actually eat computers for a food by looking at the sheer number of gadgets that were readied to be deployed to Somalia in response to the crisis. Men and women of all ages, all nationalities, white, black, brown, descended on East Africa to ‘save’ lives and to ‘reduce’ malnutrition and further displacement. A humanitarian appeal was launched for staggering $1.06 billion. All this money to flow to Somalia between August and December. You do simple arithmetic and realize if 10% of that money ends up reaching the poor in Mogaidshu and Bakool, the nightmare would be over. Mind you, before the revision, the original annual appeal was for $ 592 million, and funding levels stood at 75% (meaning about 445 million has already been received). Yet, in January the number of people in humanitarian crisis were said to be 2 million. In August, the figures shot up to 4 million, virtually the entire population in the South. You wonder why the arithmetic is contradicting each other. You wonder why a nation that received $ 400 million in six months would see a doubling and tripling of malnutrition rates. Until you realize the bulk of the money doesn’t reach Somalia!

 

In the name of surge capacity, over 200 UN international staff has arrived, the shortest for a month, the longest for three and more months. If you use an average $10,000 per month, the figure of $6 million is paid as salaries and allowances to the new arrivals. Add that to an already bloated bureaucracy of thousands and you get a sense of how much money is burnt in western capitals and Nairobi in the name of the Somalia Emergency. Add the millions of dollars paid to shipping and freight companies to transport food and non-food items. Add the rentals, construction, renovation and sundry costs of multifarious lavish buildings. Add the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services with the ridiculous fare. Add the fake security and safety specialists who roam everywhere with the expensive armored vehicles. Add the millions of computers, radio and audio-visual equipment procured on a continuous basis. Add the barbeque, the cakes; the drinks, the humanitarians need to be able to discuss the severity of the famine and strategies for response. And you would think you got a feel of where the money is ending up. You have not even begun.

 

As if all that profligacy is not enough, international NGOs take their share of the loot with officially declared 7-15% overhead costs of all money received. The poor local NGOs receive a cake with three quarters already eaten. They eat ¾ of the ¾ and give the rest to locally affiliated community leaders and, where the authorities have enough muscle, they extort their share. The story has slight exaggeration but it accurately denotes the fundamental modus operandi of the humanitarian industry in Somalia. I don’t want to sound melodramatic and excuse the foul language, but the whole humanitarian surfeit is b.u.l.l.s.h.i.t.

 

You go to Wilson Airport in the morning or to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the afternoon and you would think the whole merciful world is going to Somalia to save lives. Indeed, most of the humanitarians are more interested in saving or advancing or starting a career. That is the cruel truism, known and acknowledged for long time and therefore you are right in asking me, what is the news?

 

The news is the marrow-melting contempt so visibly flaunted by members of the humanitarian and development community to the Somali leaders, and by extension to all Somalis. I have asked one of these men why they do not support progressive elements within the TFG and use them as a building block for strong Somalia state. “Of course, that seems logical, but humor me, who are the honest ones? I am working with Minister so-and so and he has run away from North America after defrauding an insurance company. How can you empower such people?” And this is coming from the higher echelons of the ‘humanitarian’ and ‘development’ agencies who are known to own private NGOs who take millions from the systems they lead and show no impact of their interventions! Hypocritical accountability! Who is calling who a thieve here?

 

Surely, there must be good ones in Somalia’s current crop of leaders. And in any case, who says there are no thieves elsewhere in the world. Who says you have to aim for all clean system in Somalia’s current context? What the ‘Humanitarian’ pirates want is, in truth, not to see a reconstructed Somalia, but one that remains a basket case for ages. A humanitarian programme can only thrive where there is a void of governance. That is why piece-meal seminars on gender equality, female genital mutilation, governance, and coordination receive millions of humanitarian investment. That is why false IDP camps are created by a victimized community who saw themselves as nothing but beneficiaries of global philanthropy. That is why millions of plastic sheets and non-food items crowd Mogadishu.

 

And in the few instances some initiated leaders of Somalia ask questions, you feed them acronyms and jargons: DRR, EW, Contingency Planning, Lessons learnt, realtime evaluation, taskforce, assessment, spreedsheets, maps, matrixs, draft templates, MoUs, SOPs , you name it. Is there no other ways of getting better value for all that money? Is it for lack of ideas or for lack of good-will? It is the latter.

 

This is not a conspiracy against Somalis. This is just how any business operates. The motive of self-interest and profit-making is enough to supplant compassion for humanity. Any day, anywhere! Ask Adam Smith. Ask Mancur Olson. The only problem is elsewhere nations have some authorities who tame the greedy charities. In Somalia, there is none. And those with interest in sustaining weak government structures are advising the process of rebuilding state institutions in Somalia. It is an impossible mission. If you ride a hyena to fight a lion, you may find a missing limb of yours before you confront the lion. Somaaliyeey Toosoo!

[Carafaat]

Abtigiis, the aid industry is one the most shamefull and unethical industries, exploiting human suffering for own advancement. And still there are so people around really thinking that aid really helps. How ignorent. indeed Somaliyeey toosa.

[xiinfaniin]

I am with Prof. Abgtigiis.

[Carafaat]

Xiin, adigu marba ma dhinac ayaa u leexataa? So digii tageeriyay UN'ta iyo sida Somalida ku dul shaqeystaan. Iminkana maad is badashay?

[xiinfaniin]

Yes in the limited sight of Carafaat xiinfaniin is 'Gabaldaye'.

[Carafaat]

Dee waan yaabay. waxaan is iri, hawo walba maad la duusha.

[Prometheus]

I share many of Abtigiis' concerns about the aid industry, and occasionally find it difficult to stave off the suspicion that the entire thing is utterly debauched, as though it were devised to perpetuate and exacerbate the very problems it was meant to solve. In her contentious book, Dead Aid, the Zambian economist, Dambisa Moyo, wields a sharp harpoon against developmental aid, yet much of her critique can be applied to humanitarian aid as well. It is a good read, even if you ultimately disagree with her policy proposal that all aid to Africa should be terminated. Other than a few successful aid programs, it seems that much of foreign aid militates against progress and development. It is wasteful and baneful.

[Abtigiis]

Dambisa Moyo is a bit of radical economist but that doesn't mean her obervations aren't correct. i just feel she is selective in assessing the impact or lack of it of development programmes in Africa. There is more of patriotism than rationality in her analysis.

 

Prom, I don't like the Ethiopian regime but I respect the way they deal with international humanitarian and development partners. They produce a poverty reduction strategy where they define their priorities and put most of the money they receive in these type of programmes they initiated. The Productive Safety Net Programme is a living example of how they addressed chronic food insecurity of the one that Somalia is facing. It is true they are not yet out of the woods, but they would have been in deeper crisis if they allowed the humanitarian and development industry to dictate to them. Somalia needs a propr government and soon. The sad thing is I don't see that coming anytime soon. Not when you see Xinnfanin's Mahiga-mania is all that is in the offing.

 

By the way, although it was a short visit and I didn't see much, I found Mogadishu not as well built as I thought it was even in times of peace. The airport is very small, more like an air strip. I have tried to imagine how it was when it was properly maintained during the Siyad regime, but still the whole thing looked even less glamorous than the tiny ones you see in the some of the small West African republis.

[Jacaylbaro]

Is Somaliland's little aid to Somalia affecting the whole Humanitarian Agencies now ???

 

Aar naga daa dee cadhada meel kele kula dhacoo ..

[xiinfaniin]

^^Waryaa Professoorka afkaaga xunka ah ka duw!

 

 

Prof. Abtigiis, are you back yet or still in Mogadishu awoowe?

[Abtigiis]

Dr. Xinn, I went there in the morning, stayed for about six hours and flew back the same day. Bal waxa lix saac lagu qaban karo iisheeg ee diyaarad khaas ah loogu kireeysan?

 

Jacaylbaro, somaliland uma jeedo. Somaliland deeqdeedu se waxaan ka yaabi inay tii ninkii reer-miyiga ahaa ee ninka reer magaalka ah wanka u qalay oo kale naagu noqoto. The story goes, eveytime the rural man comes to one and meets the man he hosted, he made sure the he-sheep issue always came up.

 

War reerku xaguu yaal?

Halkii waagii aan wanka kuugu qalay ayaan wax yar midig ka naal.

 

Wiilkan aad dhakhtarka keentay, waa imisa jir?

Waagii aan wanka kuu qalay laba sano dabadeed ayuu dhashay.

 

Horta ninkii Ina-Caraale ahaa xaguu ku danbeeyey?

nin baa igu yidhi wuxuu dagan yahay meeshi aan waagii wanka kuugu qalay.

 

The story finishes with the urban man buying two fat he-sheeps, wuu u loogay, wuxuunaku yidhi "adeeroow wan danbe ha igu soo hadal qaadin hadda kadib".

 

Inaan aniga iyo xinn wax iska uruurino oon Hargeisada gaajada loogu bakhtiyayo keen mooye sheekadaas JB naga hadhi mayso. And I mean Hargeisaa gaajo loogu bakhtiyayaaa.The urban poverty in hargeisa is very, very depressing. Magaaladaa in dad meyd ah uun guryaha loogu tagaan kayaabi waa dhow. Baahi badan baa taal laftigeeda.

[Jacaylbaro]

Inagu waynu is fahmaynaa oo intaasuun baa kaa hadlinaysee warka caddayso niyow ,,,,, Been 20 years and you never brought this issue. Naga daa ha igu noqon naagtii ninku furay ee cadhaday ninkaa u qaadday qabiilkii uu ka dhashay oo dhan wada nacday ee halkay mid ku aragto shiidi jirtaye ,,,,

[Abtigiis]

Sidaas ma aha. cidna uma jeedo runtii.

 

Speaking of furiin, you reminded me of this guy from my village. Gabadh baa nacday oo ifur tidhi iyagoon eqel-qalinba. He refused and fought it for a long time. Markii danbaa waqadii sii lagu yidhi oo looga qaaday. And then the girl was so happy she organised a party in her house. Ninkii wuxuu sameeyey ma garatay. Intuu is ag istaagay meeshi xafladu ka socotay oo mashxarad iyo heeso ka yeedhayaan, ayaa dadka meesha maraya ee yidhaa "war maanta xaafaddda reer Macallin cabdullahi ma xaa kajira ayuu si xanaaq ah ugu jawaabayey " waxba kama jiraane iska socda, tu yaroo aan furay ayaa is calool adkaysiinaysee". :D

[NGONGE]

So, should your gripe really be about the "humanitarian pirates" or those that allow them to hijack the entire thing? You seem to be making excuses for the corrupt politicians and point the finger of blame at the "alleged" corrupt NGOs! Or is it the case that you've worked in the industry for far too long that you too have learned sida xisaabta loo khaldo?

[N.O.R.F]

^A&T thought he was part of 'making a difference'. Reality has caught up with him.

 

A&T, naga daa the drama. You knew this was the case for eons saxib.