Date: Sun, 18 May 2014 23:25:29 +0200
Somalia: African solutions for African problems?
Interventions from neighbours have not brought Somalia the promised peace.
Last updated: 18 May 2014 11:23
Abukar Arman
<http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/profile/abukar-arman.html> Abukar
Arman
Ambassador Abukar Arman is the former Somalia special envoy to the United
States and a foreign policy analyst.
Watch two videos below on the link:
Witness - The Mayor of Mogadishu
Inside Story - Somali refugees : threat or victims?
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/somalia-african-solutions-a
frica-20145812280255662.html
While "ASAP" is an acronym that connotes a timely and efficient result, most
if not all, operations that are veiled with the romantic motto, have proven
that they are not indigenously conceived, funded or driven.
Since this phrase entered the African lexicon
<http://www.issafrica.org/iss-today/african-solutions-to-african-problems>
in 2007, it has proved to be of no substantive value to the continent or its
people. Contrary to what it was originally intended, the phrase has been
taken hostage by domestic political sloganeers and foreign elements eager to
advance zero-sum interests. It also became the ideological impetus that
helped establish multi-national African forces such as
<http://amisom-au.org/> AMISOM.
As is clear in Somalia, this kind of politico-military system - especially
when neighbouring states are directly involved - routinely contain or
"solve" a problem by creating several newer ones that perpetuate dependency,
exploitation and indeed subjugation.
"When one asks a powerful neighbour to come to aid and defend one with his
forces.These forces may be good in themselves, but they are always dangerous
for those who borrow them, for if they lose you are defeated, and if they
conquer you remain their prisoner," forewarned Niccolo Machiavelli several
centuries ago.
In Somalia, not only did our current leadership, and that of the last
decade, fail to heed the aforementioned warning, they obediently competed
and outperformed each other to prove themselves as unyielding loyal
subjects. It is clear that no Somali can pursue a political career in his
own country without first getting Ethiopia's blessings. Already, Ethiopia
has installed a number of its staunch cohorts in the current government and
(along with Kenya) has been handpicking virtually all of the new regional
governors, mayors, etc.
Byproduct of vicious fratricide
Recently, while reading on poverty, I came across the anthropologist Oscar
Lewis' (controversial) theory "the culture of poverty" in which he argues
that while poverty might be systemic and generational, it fosters unique
self-perpetuating value system that ultimately becomes engrained in the poor
person's way of life.
People who are altered by that attitudinal phenomenon commonly
<http://academics.nawar.us/The_Culture_of_Poverty.pdf> have "a strong
feeling of marginality, of helplessness, of dependency, of not belonging.
They are like aliens in their own country... (and) have very little sense of
history".
I could not help but reflect on our own self-defeating, self-perpetuating
predicament.
As in
<http://www.rainn.org/get-information/effects-of-sexual-assault/stockholm-sy
ndrome> Stockholm syndrome, a good number of the Somali leadership have
become emotionally and politically bonded with the very power that abused
them and fuelled enmity between them (off and on) since the seventies.
Capitalising on that psychological advantage, Ethiopia has managed to get
the exclusive right to set up an embassy inside the Villa Somalia
(government compound), independent "consulates" in
<http://www.embassypages.com/missions/embassy13839/> Somaliland and
<http://som.horseedmedia.net/2010/05/somalia-ethiopia-opens-consulate-in-pun
tland/> Puntland, and independently operating intelligence command centres
in each of these balkanised political entities. To further complicate
matters, Ethiopia <http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article27016> has
signed independent "military treaty" with
<http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1077/Somaliland_Ethiopia_Sign_a
_Security_Treaty> each of these political entities.
Yet, the current leadership - as those before them - seems content with such
arrangement. That, needless to say, motivated
<http://www.somalicurrent.com/2014/05/01/somalia-diplomatic-row-heats-up-as-
kenya-appoints-a-new-representative-to-somali-region/> Kenya to follow the
same effective strategy - isolate the centre from the periphery, and lure
the latter entities into deals that they can't refuse.
Exposing the lame ducks
Only a few weeks into the Ethiopia-led (AMISOM) military operation, the
UNSGR warned the next violence that targets the UN may force it
<http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/4/22/un-somalia-shabab.html> out
of Somalia.
"I am deeply conscious that if we make a mistake in our security presence
and posture, and suffer a significant attack, particularly on the UN, this
is likely to mean to us withdrawing from Somalia," said UN Special
Representative Nicholas Kay.
To underscore his message, he adds this: "There are scenarios in which if we
take further significant losses, then that would have a strategic effect on
our mission."
Was this a reckless telegraphing intended to implicitly dare al-Shabaab with
a "Go ahead, make my day; force us back to Nairobi" message? Or was it a
cryptic warning intended to preempt the Ethiopia/Kenya tag-team from getting
too creative in their covert operations intended to manipulate facts on the
ground?
While you ponder, consider adding this into your calculus: The UN
deliberately bypassed AMISOM when it commissioned a Ugandan contingent of
over 400 Special Forces to guard its facilities and staff. This particular
contingent is neither officially part nor does it take any orders from
AMISOM. Why?
Because, the controversial implanting of Ethiopia and Kenya into AMISOM has
changed its dynamic from a peacekeeping force into a political vehicle.
Ambassador Kay is too experienced to make haphazard security-related
statements. He was well aware of what he was saying and where he was saying
it. He affirms that awareness in his
<http://www.usip.org/events/progress-or-peril-in-somalia> presentation.
Between the lines he was signalling his frustration with the Ethiopia-driven
AMISOM, and how he and UNSOM ended up biting the dust. I have argued before
that the Ethiopia/Kenya and US/UK interests are in an imminent collision
course.
Musical chairs and revolving doors
Though the next election/selection is more than two years away, the usual
suspects of mostly political conformists who are devoid of any
transformative ideas or strategies are already in their hysterical
manoeuvring and counter-manoeuvring routine. They are dutifully eager to
demonstrate their capacity to perpetuate the status quo.
Intoxicated with the rhetoric that our "good neighbours are making
self-sacrifice for us" these politicians are determined to hinge the future
of our nation on the question of "Who would be the next president and the
next prime minister?" rather than "What new vision and strategy would these
individuals bring in order to help heal or repair our broken nation?"
Against that backdrop, on May 5, over 100 MP signed a non-binding resolution
demanding the resignation of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud or face
impeachment.
Make no mistake, Somalia is held in a nasty headlock by a neighbourhood
tag-team unmistakably motivated by zero-sum objective. It is their so-called
African solution (not so much of the extremist group al-Shabaab) that is
<http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2013/01/06/connecting-dots-in-the-triangle-of
-threat/> setting the Horn on fire.
Against that backdrop, our IDPs (Internally Displaced Politicians) continue
on their respective pipedreams. Of course, where there is no vision, neither
strategy, nor political will and continuity matter.
Ambassador Abukar Arman is the former Somalia special envoy to the United
States and a foreign policy analyst.
http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/images/2014/5/8/201458131245758734_20.jpg
AMISOM's forces have only complicated Somalia's security situation, argues
Arman [Reuters]
One of the most potent intoxicants in Africa today is the canned phrase
"African solutions for African problems".
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