Somalia is a mostly forgotten front of the US Global War on Terror. True, only a limited number of US personnel is deployed there or directly involved in the fighting; this is a war by proxy, courtesy of the US backed regime in Ethiopia who invaded Somalia under orders from Washington.
After many years of chaos and violence Somalia had finally found a modicum of stability under the Islamic Courts Union, an umbrella organization bringing together various Islamist groups. Obviously, to have Somalia return to some stability under the leadership of an Islamist group was just not something the Empire could tolerate and it ordered Ethiopia, a faithful ally of the Empire in the GWOT, to (illegally) invade Somalia and oust the Islamic Courts Union (for more details about this war, see here).
Needless to say, just like in Afghanistan or Iraq, this intervention plunged the country in total chaos, violence is everywhere, the Somalis are fighting the Ethiopian invaders in endless and brutal clashes which resulted in over half of the population of the capital city, Mogadishu, leaving their homes and becoming ‘internally displaced persons’.
In a bizarre and ironic twist of fate, some are now floating the idea of sending a UN peacekeeping force to Somalia (‘Black Hawk Down‘ anyone?) instead of overlooking the self-evident first step to resolve this unfolding nightmare: demand an Ethiopian withdrawal. The other solution, which is what I predict will eventually happen, is for the Somalis themselves to expel the Ethiopians and liberate their country.
In the meantime, here is a good Al-Jazerra report on the humanitarian consequences of the GWOT in Somalia:
I love Ethiopia. They are a country with over 6,000 years of history as a great Nile civilization.
I think that the world needs to stand by the great Ethiopian people.
In the year since that Ethiopian campaign began, some 750,000 new refugees have been created in Somalia, and the ICU is now leading a self-proclaimed “jihad” against the Ethiopian forces. The ICU is leading a nationalist effort to free Somalia from foreign intervention and unite that Moslem country under a Moslem movement that will replace the ravages of warlords with the rule of sharia law. The degree to which the ICU sympathizes with al Qua’ida’s campaign against the West is unclear, but the experience of being attacked by the U.S. and its Ethiopian proxy will not easily be dismissed by Somali activists. War destroyed Somalia’s first chance in a generation for peace and effective national government.
Did war work from the perspective of the U.S. and Ethiopia? It is too soon to tell. If the goal was to take control of another oil-producing region, war appeared for a few months to be effective, though this result has recently seemed less clear. If the goal was to reestablish effective government over a peaceful and productive society, it has been a disastrous failure; indeed, even the Ethiopians are now calling for international help to enable them to extricate themselves from the quagmire they created. Perhaps the recent public emphasis on African peacekeeping troops can lead to a process of genuine reconciliation, involvement of significant numbers of Islamic activists in some sort of broad governing coalition, and the reconstruction of Somali society, but the effort required in the aftermath of the year of war appears far greater than would have been needed a year ago.
Somalia has been one of the world’s poorest countries for generations. It has seen continuous civil war for many decades. These civil wars continue today. What can the world do to help the Somali people?
UN peacekeepers in 2002-2004 had limited success. There is no support for sending UN peacekeepers or African Union peacekeepers. And does anyone here support that?
I think the world should focus more on helping people elsewhere in Africa deal with extreme poverty. Most Africans live on less than $1 a day. Even a small amount of money can make a big difference.
I don’t know how to help Somalis, Congolese, Zimbabweans, and many Sudanese.
I don’t know how to help Somalis
Simple: throw out the Yankee imperialists who are ravaging their country ;-)
Under the Islamic courts Somalia finally had a modicum of stability and security. The US-ordered Ethiopian invasion made a mess of it all. So maybe we should also put the sorry SOBs who ordered this invasion on trial for the crime of ‘aggression’ like what was done with the Nazis in Nuremberg. That would go a long way towards helping not only the Somalis but all the other victims of US imperial aggressions.
You give a one sided perspective. I am more sympathetic to the Ethiopian perspective than you.
Somalia is a very poor country. Ethiopians have no monetary objectives in Somalia. They are there to help Somalis, or at least their friends among the Somalis.
Ethiopians fear a Takfiri threat from Jihadi groups operating in Somalia. They would like to see Somalia evolve into a prosperous free democracy in the long run like we all would. They see that as the only way to strengthen the Somali majority enough to keep the Takfiris out on a sustainable basis. Are Ethiopians making many mistakes. Yes.
But I wouldn’t impugn Ethiopia’s noble intentions.
I am disappointed that the world, including my America, are not doing more to help both Somalia and Ethiopia. I think Congress should pass additional economic aid to both counties ASAP. I am unhappy that they aren’t. Other countries should also contribute.
Regarding Ethiopia, they are a free democracy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Ethiopia known for their values. Ethiopians are an advanced and sophisticated culture and civilization. They know more about their neighborhood than unsophisticated Western caucasians who see everything through ethnocentric western eyes.
Ethiopians were an advanced Nile civilization 6,000 years ago . . . while “Westerners” were still living in caves.
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