From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Mar 08 2010 - 10:08:47 EST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/07/somalia-failed-state-al-qaida
Somalia is not a failed state
Sharif Ahmed
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 7 March 2010 21.00 GMT
There is nothing Somali about this violence. Our plight isn't insuperable,
but we do need more help.
•
o Sharif Ahmed
o guardian.co.uk, Sunday 7 March 2010 21.00 GMT
o Article history
A little over a year ago, I was elected president of a country that many
consider the most dangerous in the world. Over the last 20 years, Somalia
has been synonymous with war and displacement. Now terrorism and piracy have
been added to this list – and they threaten death and destruction far beyond
our borders.
Let me begin by emphasising that however bad the situation looks, Somalia is
not the "failed" state of popular imagination. Somalis are resilient and
committed to peace, and sickened by the nihilistic violence of the
extremists who last month announced an alliance with al-Qaida to wreak havoc
across east Africa.
There is nothing Somali about the violence afflicting our country. The
extremists are waging war against our Somali flag, our Somali values and our
religion. Witness their values: they blew up a graduation ceremony on 3
December last year, killing young Somali doctors, graduates and four
government ministers. They are preventing the UN World Food Programme
providing humanitarian assistance to thousands of Somalis in desperate need.
It seems these extremists will stop at nothing.
They could be defeated relatively easily, however, if the international
community were to adjust its thinking in two critical ways. First, it must
abandon the defeatist notion that Somalia's problems are insuperable,
because this becomes a self-fulfilling expectation. Second, it must rid
itself of the dangerous delusion that Somalia has no relevance to the rest
of the world.
The African Union Mission in Somalia is under-resourced. With the exception
of Uganda and Burundi, countries have promised troops but haven't delivered.
The Transitional Federal Government has trained several thousand soldiers,
brave men and women ready to take on and expel al-Qaida from Somalia. The
British government has done much to assist us, and we are grateful, but more
support from other members of the international community is needed. If we
could establish a larger, well-trained army, we could make a real difference
in the fight against the extremists.
Piracy off the Somali coast is a major challenge. I am appalled that the
British sailors Paul and Rachel Chandler are being held hostage. I would
like to add my voice to those of the British Somali community and the elders
in Somalia calling for the Chandlers' freedom. Their captivity is un-Islamic
and un-Somali. We have already trained 1500 men as part of a professional
Somali coastguard, but we do not have the boats and other equipment to
protect Somali waters.
The TFG is committed to work with the international community to combat
terrorism and promote regional security. As a result of a desire for
national reconciliation, we have created a functioning coalition government
made up of yesterday's enemies. We are committed to transparency, which is
why we've hired PricewaterhouseCoopers to ensure the accountability of donor
funds. The Central Bank of Somalia and Radio Mogadishu are now up and
running. The constitution is under review. We have built bridges with our
diaspora communities, foreign embassies are now operating in Mogadishu and
Somalia has close to 30 diplomatic missions worldwide.
This progress is evidence that Somalia is not a "failed" state, and it is
proof that something can be done. However, the extremists threaten to undo
this progress, and pose danger not only to Somalia but the wider world. The
international community has a duty to match the resolve of the Somali people
with robust support: doing that now will be a great deal less expensive.
Somalia has suffered this tragedy for decades. Let us prevent it from
becoming a wider one.
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----