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 The logic behind the decision is simple and clear. There is an internationally recognised National Unity Government, which is seen by many analysts as the best chance in restoring stability, law and order to Southern Somalia. However, the government is besieged by a punch of peace spoilers and their ragtag militias who are determined in aborting the administration. These armed groups, who are terrorising Mogadishu’s peace loving residents, control important sea and airport infrastructures throughout the South. They use these facilities for income generation in order to fund their heinous crimes against the peoples of Somalia under the pretext of their perverted version of the Islamic doctrine. They run networks of flights and shipments, carrying weapons and ammunitions to enable them execute their war tactics, which include the shelling of civilian populated areas; the assassination of the educated, intellectuals, secularists, peace-loving citizens and whoever is against their distorted ideology. Their global syndicate of “Jihadists” and hardliner “Islamists” frequent these facilities as a port of entry and exit to this beautiful but unhappy country, thus inflaming the situation whenever there is a glimmer of hope for peace and stability. Ironically, the internationally recognised government that is supposed to control these facilities is unable to assert its authority over them for historical and other reasons, including, among others, lack of government presence and institutions in those regions; a loophole in the Somalia’s sea and airport arrangement that has evolved since the collapse of the central government in 1991. Believe or not, since the collapse of the state and as the country has disintegrated into clan-based fiefdoms, country’s air and seaports came under the control of either warlords, clan-based administration, regional states such as “Somaliland” and “Puntland,” and now by these sadists peace spoilers of the so called “Al-Shabab”, whose main aim in life is to ensure the stoning of a 13 year old innocent girl to death, while letting those who raped her go free, unpunished, and also in desecrating the shrines of revered holy men. Throughout the years of the civil war, neighbouring states, UN, NGOs, private companies and organised international criminal syndicates took the simplistic view of doing whatever they could to please those in control of sea and airport facilities in order to conduct their business. For example, UN agencies and NGOs had and still pay ransoms to warlords and other ragtag clan militias in order their chartered planes to get food delivered to the needy. Countries, whose companies need an access to Somalia’s lucrative Qat market, took advantage of the lawlessness situation by allowing their airplanes to land on regional airstrips so that thousands of tons of Qat worth of hundreds of millions of dollars could be off-loaded in local ports. So planes loaded with tons of Qat shipment would leave Wilson airport in Nairobi and would off-load their precious cargo at the No 50 Airport in Somalia. Ethiopia and Eritrea have been accused of using sea and airport facilities to ship arms and ammunition in order to execute their proxy wars in Somalia. Hired planes would off-load ammunition cargos at the Balli-Doogle airport, a military airbase during the collapsed central government. Also, thanks to Somalis’ entrepreneurial spirit and lack of air and sea ports regulatory frameworks, Somalis have managed to create airline companies which run commercial flights from Somalia to abroad. These companies offer flight tickets, as they have been a life-line to Somalis’ booming trade. They also play a significant role in helping in the delivery of crucial humanitarian aid to Somalia. This vibrant private airline industry needs to be nurtured and supported but under a regulatory framework, spearheaded by the unity government. It is however unacceptable that rogue and bogus elements such as these sadistic “Jihadists” and hardliner “Islamists”, spoilers of peace are allowed to use these infrastructures in order to cause havoc and destruction in their determination to bringing down a government that is the best hope in restoring stability and order to the South. This is because income, arms and ammunition these groups receive through those ports would undermine the very government that the international community is trying to protect and support. The culture of laissez-faire policy that has been adopted with regard to the affairs of the sea and air transport cannot go as it once used be because things have changed and moved on. Thanks to the Djibouti reconciliation process, there is now a real prospect for peace and stability in Somalia provided the unity government takes off the ground and gradually asserts its authority over the country. And this could only happen if the armed opposition groups’ power is weakened through asserted sanctions and embargo measures, thus making them surrender to the government’s authority. As a starting point, an appropriate action would be to scrutinise and monitor all flights that originate from IGAD states and are bound to areas under the armed groups’ control. It maybe a simplistic suggestion but by sharing information about these flights with the government, authorities should be able to take appropriate action to deal with any eventuality that comes with these flights, for example by exploring ways of arresting and detaining those who are threat to peace and reconciliation. A point that cannot be ignored is the Kenyan governments’ failure to detect the departure of Hassan Dahir Aweys, a Colonel-cum-Sheikh-cum-religious Warlord (dagaal-ooge diineed) from a Kenyan airport destined to Somalia. It was because of this man’s inflammatory and seditious speeches that have fuelled the latest killings in Mogadishu. Had the Kenyan government detained this man and his cohorts, some of the bloodshed could have been prevented. There are some obstacles and challenges that could undermine the implementation of the air and sea port blockade. Rampant corruption in neighbouring countries, for instance Kenya, where one could buy an entire government department by few hundred thousands of dollars could jeopardise these efforts. It has been reported the cost of the recent trip by Hassan Dahir Aweys was about £25,000. One can only imagine how much of that money have ended up in the pockets of corrupt immigration officers in Wilson airport in Kenya. The other challenge is how to differentiate or discriminate between flights that bring in legitimate commercial products and humanitarian assistance and dubious flights full of dodgy shipments destined to the armed groups. Therefore a no fly zone area operation that is supported by the international community would be very much helpful as this would ensure that only legitimate commercial and humanitarian flights are allowed in the country while the government gradually asserts its authority all over the country. However, it must be said the spoilers of peace will use a logo of “no flight zones hurts the people” as tool to try to win public support and sympathy but their arguments could be stifled and suppressed as long as there is a coordinated embargo action that allows legitimate commercial and humanitarian flights and shipments in. No one wants to see spoilers of peace showing off photos of mal-nourished dying children which they will blame on a no fly zone operation, if this ever happens. A gradual emasculation of armed groups through continuous sanctions and embargo would ensure that they finally come to the negotiation table with the government, hence enhancing government’s legitimacy and authority. In conclusion, the days of laisser-faire culture towards Somalia’s sea and airport infrastructures should be brought to an end, and the international community in collaboration with government ministers should explore ways of ensuring that a united policy and regulatory framework to run Somalia’s air and sea space is developed and applied across the country. Muuse Yuusuf _________________________________________________________________________________ We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com |
It is very much commendable that stable regional states “Somaliland” and “Puntland” have in somehow managed to exercise some sort of authority over sea and airport facilities and have the capacity to run them in a centralised manner as this have reduced or eliminated the red-tape bureaucracy that existed during the collapsed central government in which to export a shipment of banana one would have required a permission by the president in Villa Somalia. 