Somalia: A Shattered Country

Somalia: A Shattered Country

by Melanie Cole

In October of 2004, his Excellency Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed was inaugurated as President of Somalia and leader of the newly formed Transitional Federal Government. Although the TFG has yet to be recognized as a real and permanent government, Ahmed and his contemporaries have campaigned for a new Somalia- one that is not broken, but united. Located on the infamous Horn of Africa, Somalia’s placement enables imports and exports to flow (while following embargo laws, of course) to and from other countries. Ahmed and his Transitional Federal Government silently oppose the issued Arms Embargo, which allows weapons and ammunition to fall into the hands of warlords and rebel-leaders. Although the Transitional Federal Government was once a rebel party itself, the new President and his cabinet have vowed to renew Somalia and hope to make it a power that other countries will listen to and consult. The TFG is one of the few rising parties in the Horn of Africa who have not committed war atrocities, and are against terrorism and radical Islamist ideals. There are no current feuds between their government and world powers like the United Nations and the United States of America. In order to fulfill the mission of the Transitional Federal Government, and to create a peaceful, united Somalia, the United Nations or the United States must act in supporting this promising government.

Both traditionally and frequently, political powerhouses have denied anything other than food aid to African countries. Both politics and the post-colonial world have created an apathetic view when it comes to the relationship between African countries and the world’s leading powers. In 2005, the Somali President gave a speech at the Organization of the Islamic Conference. In his speech, Ahmed explained his logical hopes for his small developing country that is only slightly smaller than Texas. In his speech, Ahmed stated, “It is, indeed, an encouraging occasion to see the leaders of the Islamic World taking the time to collectively reassess the current state of affairs of the Muslim World and to contemplate over the many problems engulfing the Islamic Ummah…Instability, raging wars and prolonged conflicts are disproportionately unique to the Islamic World. Enquiringly, most of the these conflicts are concentrated at the far reaches of the Islamic world…Being one of the burning fringes of the Muslim World, my country, Somalia, has been in a senseless war with itself for the last 15 years…The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is now fully functional inside Somalia trying to reclaim the country from its lawlessness. We are basically starting from scratch and despite our meager resources we are steadily achieving a tangible progress on the ground.” Ahmed gives his plan of action for rebuilding Somalia, and constantly repeats that he is in power as a peacemaker, not a warlord. The United States has no problem with Somalia, and consequently, they have no interest in it. In an article written on the Arms Embargo, simple logic is stated. “As of now, the UN is not for the idea of an indigenous armed force created by Somali authorities. Lifting of the arms embargo will help the TFG control the entire country. If this is not done the fundamentalists will be well on their way to establishing an Islamic government resembling that of Taliban’s…The US should support the TFG, because if this does not happen then the disintegration of Somalia will escalate and eventually aggravate terrorist attacks.” This article brings up an interesting idea that hits home for most American citizens. A country like Somalia is a possible breeding ground for anti-Western terrorist organizations. As seen before the attacks of September 11, a country like Afghanistan was in almost total anarchy. Out of this madness rose the Taliban. This country that the US highly ignored because they had no present interest, made it easy for such people to hide their rising militaries, and create a large following of ungoverned people. The feelings of hatred of the Western world are growing throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. If the United Nations or US would simply take the step of supporting the Transition Federal Government of Somalia, potential terrorist attacks and hatred could be prevented.

Often times, such ideas create a feeling that such action cannot occur because it is not in the interest of the citizens or the government. Some may argue that such a bond could create a sudden and unplanned death of American soldiers, such as the Mogadishu mission in the early nineties. Governments also worry that supporting a certain government would lead to financial difficulties and war. Such worries are realistic, but if the United States were to help pull Somalia together, there would be more good than bad. American troops would highly outnumber any Somali rebel groups, and spending would be minimal. In fact, ties with a Muslim country could lead to peaceful alliances between the Middle East and the West. There are many possibilities of new action if the United States were to support the Transitional Federal Government.

The United States and Somalia have no problems with each other. Although Somalia has been in ruins and considered anarchy for the past fifteen years, a new government is ready to step in and glue the shattered pieces of their country back together. If world leaders do not step in to help rebuild Somalia, there could be possible consequences of war and attacks on civilians. Such a place is where warlords and atrocities are born. If the world does not act now, this shattered country will soon become shards of anarchy.

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