Do Somalis a favour; just leave them alone

[cynical lady]

Written by Yusuf Serunkuma

Sunday, 05 September 2010

 

On August 30, four Ugandan soldiers were killed in Mogadishu following

an Al Shabaab assault on the state capital.

 

On September 1, The New Vision, Uganda’s government owned newspaper, in

an editorial, pleaded for “beefing up” of deployment in this coastal

country, not just from Uganda, but from the broader international community.

 

“Stable Somalia is not only good for the Somalis, but the whole

international community. Since the collapse of a functional government

in Mogadishu in 1991, basic social services also collapsed…the world has

paid dearly on the hands of terrorists. It would, therefore, be a grave

mistake to allow a rogue government to take root in Mogadishu,” the

editorial noted.

 

This was rather an emotional appeal, the kind that defines approaches to

conflicts in Africa these days —speaking the language of humanitarian

intervention against “rogues”, “terrorists” or “extremists”.

 

Foreign aid activist and U2 lead singer Bono has been cautioned to use

his head while campaigning for aid for Africa, and not his heart. The

New Vision editorial seemed to be heart-based, and this is misleading.

 

The editorial lamented further that millions have died due to famine and

insurgency, and that the cost this failed state has had on international

trade is not likely to end soon unless the peacekeeping mission is

improved. And that the mission should be changed from peacekeeping to

peace enforcement.

 

This is lunacy. Does foreign intervention or peacekeeping help pull a

state out of the rubble? This is a naïve assumption for it chooses not

to respect the issues at hand, but rather emphasises the humanitarian

picture — number of casualties of the crisis.

 

While this is certainly a bad picture, we need to do the Somalis some

favour - leave them alone.

The situation might deteriorate further; the number of dead may escalate

tremendously, the president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and several of

his ministers may be killed (God forbid), and warlords may take over the

country.

 

But while all this could be disastrous in the short term, foreign

intervention is worse and will last longer.

 

It is rather absurd that many believe that the Al Shabaab are attuned to

fighting. This is not true.

 

Should they take over the country as its leaders, the Somali populace

will ask them for healthcare, education, security, participation in

trade and infrastructure improvement. They will have to “forcefully

sober up” so as to sustain their legitimacy.

 

They may have to use Sharia for their rule, and if the international

community is afraid of this, then AMISOM is protecting (or fighting) the

wrong war.

 

The Al Shabaab is a nationalistic group fighting perceived imperialism.

And, as a young group (they started in 2006), they are a product of the

second US invasion.

 

Modern US imperialism has had nasty results for global politics and

international peace. In 1953, after three weeks of covert operation,

Washington and London staged a coup that brought down a democratically

elected government in Iran.

 

Prime Minister Muhammad Mosadegh, having nationalised, what truly

belonged to Iran, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, was lurched at as an

enemy to the interests of the superpowers. In international history,

that coup has come to define global politics to-date.

 

Russia attacked Afghanistan, fearing the US/British threat in Iran; the

US reacted by training the Taliban to deal with the Russian ‘infidels’.

This has come to be called the war on terror and it is the ugly side of

imperialism.

 

Many have discarded this as an “ancient piece of history,” thinking that

events happen once and have no bearing on shaping the future.

 

In 2006, fearing that a Sharia-led Somalia would provide ground for the

Taliban and Al-Qaeda, the US brought down another regime in this

country, not through a covert coup this time, but through open aggression.

 

At the time, Somalia was led by a Union of Islamic Courts where village

mullahs provided a resemblance of government; punishing law breakers,

establishing healthcare reform. Today, a youth group, Al-Shabaab is

angry with them — and all their allies.

 

Their fighting, therefore, cannot be viewed as an addiction to chaos to

warrant international intervention; it is simply a hatred for imperialism.

 

Writing on the same day as the New Vision editorial, the Canadian-based

columnist Opiyo Oloya who just recently paid a visit to Somalia and had

audience with the president also wrote a narrative of events that subtly

hinted on an improved Somalia, courtesy of foreign intervention.

 

“I have seen a people ready to embrace peace, progress and development.

The question is whether the leadership is ready.”

This is a misleading strand; Somalis are ready to pacify their country,

if left alone.

[Valenteenah.]

A more intelligent article than I have read recently.