SOMALIA

Political situation & Internal Conflict

Sub-topics

Introduction Country Information Brief History & Current political situation Internal conflict Future perspective Conclusion

Introduction

Somalia has been without effective central authority for more than 20 years.

Often seen simply as a home to pirates, starving people and insurgents linked to al-Qaida, the country does not hold a lot of world records.

  According to reputable commentators and institutions, Somalia has the world's

----"dodgiest passports", "worst humanitarian crisis", "most corrupt government" and "most dangerous capital city".

It has come top of the Failed States Index for the past four years.

Country Information

Full Country Name: Somali Democratic Republic Area: 637,657sq km Population: 9.36 million (2010 UN estimate) Capital City: Mogadishu People: Somali (85%), Bantu, Arabs Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English Religion: Sunni Muslim Currency: Somali shilling.

Country Information

Government:

-The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was formed in July 2005.

-Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was appointed President of the TFG in January 2009.

Regional governments exist in

-Somaliland and

-Puntland.

International Organizations:

-There has been no effective government since 1991.

-The TFG and its predecessor, the Transitional National Government (TNG) have represented Somalia in the UN, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development and the Community of Sahal-Saharan States

Brief History

Colonized by both Britain and Italy.

Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia.

In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule

managed to impose a degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades.

After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy.

Politics

Since 1991 over a dozen externally sponsored peace and reconciliation conferences have failed to provide a basis for restoring a government in Somalia.

Meanwhile, local administrations, often clan or Islam-based, developed in much of the country such as those in Somaliland and Puntland.

Over time, power has shifted somewhat from warlords to- business,- religious and- traditional leaders

Africa Union Intervention

On 19 January 2007,

- The African Union’s Peace and Security Council created AMISOM

(African Union Mission to Somalia)

AMISOM is mandated by a Chapter VII UN Security Council Resolution to maintain security around key locations in Mogadishu.

Since 2007, the African Union has authorized several extensions of AMISOM, which mandated until September 2011.

Cessation of Armed Confrontation

In 2007 the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), an organization comprised of Somali Islamists and opposition leaders, was formed in Asmara, Eritrea.

The ARS formed to fight the TFG and liberate Somalia of the Ethiopian forces.

A UN-led peace agreement between the TFG and the majority of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) was reached on 9 June 2008 and signed on 19 August in Djibouti.

It called for the cessation of armed confrontation, Ethiopian withdrawal, an international stabilization force and improved humanitarian access.

On 28 December 2008, following disagreements with the Prime Minister over the Djibouti Peace Process, President Yusuf resigned.

The transitional parliament elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as the President on 31 January 2009, who subsequently appointed Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as Prime Minister. 

There has been ongoing antigovernment fighting in Mogadishu and violence and clashes throughout much of the country, particularly since May 2009.

Insurgent activity and political tension remain high. On 22 June 2009 the President of Somalia declared a state of emergency, following a period of intense fighting in and around the capital, Mogadishu.

In June 2011, Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed (aka Farmajo) resigned andAbdiweli Mohamed Ali was appointed Somalia’s new Prime Minister.

On 20 July 2011 the newly appointed Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali appointed a new cabinet.

A Roadmap to End the Transition was agreed at a consultative meeting which took place in Mogadishu on 4-6 September 2011.

It outlines the priority tasks for completion ahead of the end of the transition in August 2012.

National Consultative Constitutional

The first national consultative constitutional conference was held in Garowe in Puntland on 21-23 December 2011, convened by the Transitional Federal Government and hosted by President Farole of Puntland, it was facilitated by the UN and brought together the various roadmap signatories.

The second Somali National Consultative Constitutional meeting (Garowe II) took

place on the 17 February 2012. The Garowe II principles provide a step forward in the constitutional process and towards ending the transition in August 2012.

Internal Conflict

Nation severely endured intra state conflicts, civil wars, and years under the dominion of

brutal dictators. Where people have been suffering for decades.

Many people including journalists, scholars, educators and ordinary people argue that:-

the real cause of the Somali conflict is the segmentation of the Somali people into hostile clans who have been at war with each other throughout their history.

This could actually be said to be one of the causes, but to conclude that it’s the only cause, is not convincing.

The Somali conflict has also an external character, namely geopolitical and the impact of the cold war.

Internal Conflict

What are the root causes of the Somali conflict ?

As a matter of fact, it's true that one would call the Somali conflict as an "ideological Conflict" meaning a conflict which occurs between the state and insurgent movements, social in equality is the theme".

It's also true that it is an identity-related conflict, because of the clan diversity among the Somali people, where every clan is struggling to get control of the state and dominate the other contesting clans.

Another episode of the Somali conflict includes a series of interventions, namely,

-colonial occupations and the

-Cold-war’s geopolitical impact.

 

International Community Involvement and Somali Future Perspective

The London Conference on Somalia took place at Lancaster House on the 23 February 2012

attended by fifty-five delegations from Somalia and the international community.

The conference communiqué reached agreements in seven key-areas

- Security, piracy, terrorism, humanitarian assistance,

-local stability, a reinvigorated political process and

-on international coordination. The UN security council has voted to increase an African Union peacekeeping

force in Somalia to nearly 18,000 troops in a bid to defeat extremist rebels and help stabilize the country after more than two decades of chaos.

Lancaster House on Somalia

1. Will four and a half hours of talks at Lancaster House on Thursday make a difference?

2. Is it not just an expensive waste of time – especially when all previous efforts have failed, including nearly 20 international conferences and half a dozen military interventions – to bring together nearly 60 world leaders and just eight Somalis?

3.  

4. Are skepticism about the meeting by Somalis and even hostility from some Somalis, who see it either as a neo-colonial enterprise or an irrelevant talking shop relevant ?

5. Is there hope ?

Conclusion

Somalia can be reborn as a country of progress and prosperity

For all the difficulties it has faced, Somalia has the resilience, talent and natural resources to shape a better future.

HOWEVER: The decisions on the future of Somalia remains in the hands of the Somali people. The Somali political leadership must be accountable to the people and devote

themselves toward collective efforts in building new Somalia with enduring Peace and Prosperity..

Sources

UK GURDIAN NEWSPAPER http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/feb/23/help-somalia-somalis-themselves

WORLD FACT BOOK : https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html

Country fast facts: http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-502203_162-3357673.html

Wikipedia Somalia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia

Thank you