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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Oct 28 2010 - 08:54:17 EDT
No U.N. troops to Somalia - U.S.-backed regime faces resistance
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Published Oct 28, 2010 8:06 PM
A military and political crisis for the U.S.-backed Transitional Federal
Government in Somalia has prompted calls for additional troop deployments
under the ostensible command of the United Nations Security Council. Both
the U.S. and the secretary general for the U.N. have publicly acknowledged
that nearly 8,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops propping up the TFG have not
been able to effectively challenge the growing influence of Harakat
al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (popularly known as Al-Shabaab) and Hizbul Islam,
the leading resistance groups inside the Horn of Africa nation.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson recently called for a more
aggressive approach to combating the resistance forces in Somalia. During a
speech at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International
Studies, Carson said that so far the present approach has been too slow and
unorganized.
Over the last two years the U.S. has spent more than $200 million to
bankroll the TFG and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). "We want
to encourage the TFG to be more than just a government in name only," said
Carson. (Stars and Stripes, Oct. 19)
The U.S. is now committed to initiating what it describes as a dual-track
approach that includes both engaging neighboring states as well as
bolstering the military presence in Somalia to 20,000 troops that will carry
out the aims and objectives of the imperialist states. This approach will
also include cooperation with the breakaway territories of Somaliland and
Puntland, which are not recognized by either the U.N. or the African Union.
Carson told the audience at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies that "under that new strategy, we will pursue more partnerships with
the regional governments of Somaliland and Puntland as well as local and
regional administrative units throughout South Central Somalia who are
opposed to the al-Shabaab but who are not allied to the TFG." (voanews.com,
Oct. 21)
In a disingenuous approach to undermine the existing AU policy of ostensibly
promoting national unity in Somalia, Carson noted, "By doing this, we are
not in any way attempting to go around what is in fact the principle of the
AU, which is to only recognize a single Somali state. We will not as parts
of this strategy recognize Somaliland and Puntland."
But some scholars with the Center for Strategic and International Studies
have stated that the new U.S. policy is futile and will not bring stability
to Somalia. Richard Downie, an African policy analyst, said that he was "not
sure if investing more in the north helps secure the south ... or furthers
the goal of a united Somalia.
"That goal is so far off right now as to be unobtainable, so the new focus I
think is more on the short to medium term. It doesn't make sense to have all
the policy eggs in one basket," said Downie. (Stars and Stripes, Oct. 19)
Although the U.S. administration would never say it, Downie appears to
recognize that the TFG is not the entity that can bring stability to
Somalia. However, Downie notes that such a statement exposes the
ineffectiveness of the U.S. approach in the region. According to him "It
reflects the fact that the TFG is probably a doomed project."
U.S. policy breeds resistance
In addition to the call for a new approach by the U.S., AU Commissioner for
Peace and Security Ramtane Lamamra also urged the U.N. to impose a naval
blockade and no-fly zone against Somalia. This is the rationale for the
deployment of at least 20,000 troops that would add to the existing AMISOM
forces and the flotillas of warships already stationed off the coast of the
Horn of Africa. (AHN, Oct. 21)
A recently released study issued by Chatham House in Britain illustrates
that the policies enacted by the U.S. and other imperialist states
concerning the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are creating greater
opposition to Western influence in the region. The report makes a strong
case against further militarization and external political intervention.
The report states: "Donors have little to show for their state-building
efforts because their policy template does not fit with local realities, in
which power is only partially structured through government ministries, if
at all. In Somalia, for example, real power remains diffused among a host of
local actors, with overlapping boundaries among clans, business people,
Islamists of different hues and a sizable overseas Diaspora.
"Attempts to achieve stabilization by building a state-level security
apparatus are demonstrably failing in Somalia and are unlikely to fare
better in Yemen, because they are often perceived by the local population as
a form of aggression. The critical ingredients missing from external efforts
to build state security are political legitimacy and systems of
accountability." (chathamhouse.org.uk)
Consequently, the U.S. and other imperialist states and their allies in the
region must withdraw their forces from Somalia in order for peace and
stability to be achieved. Anti-war and peace activists in the West must
oppose military intervention in the Horn of Africa and uphold the right of
self-determination and sovereignty for the peoples of the region.
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