By Isaac Muhammad
For the last 25 years, Somalia has become famous for all the wrong reasons. From civil wars that destroyed the country, to droughts that killed and displaced thousands[1]. From the piracy that created ferocity in the nation’s waters that tarnished it’s markedly suffering image, to the Al-Shabab terrorism that killed more Somalis than their alleged targets. The modern history of Somalia can be summed up in three words: conflict, famine, and terrorism.
These labels became the name tag for Somalis; no matter where they live or travel around the world. Following the aftermath of the 1991 civil war, many Somalis migrated to seek sanctuary around the globe. They became part of their respective adopted nations with full citizenship rights. Despite this, Somalis are harassed and arrested at international airports regardless of their passports or credentials.
The unrest of Somalia has been ongoing since 1991, after the collapse of the dictatorial government; since then, no one seems to have found the ability to steer this nation back to full recovery. International communities have tirelessly bestowed their time, financial, and human capital to help Somalia to come back to a stable and functioning nation. However, despite their power, commitment, and influence, they yet have to succeed in that front.
Is the International Community to Blame for Somali’s Ongoing Crisis?
The nation’s continued unrest has not circumvented any real political solution. As a result, in a burst of impatience, the disgruntled Somali people began to denounce the international community. Many politicians, who are dissatisfied with their relationship with the international community, have taken advantage of this situation. Therefore, they pitted the ordinary Somalis against international partners, such as the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), European Union (EU), The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the U.S. among others.
The simple question that Somalis need to ask themselves is, who made this mess and whose job is it to fix? The media and politicians alike portray these organizations and regional front line countries as the real cause of Somalia’s ongoing crisis. Every group, clan, or individual in Somalia tries to sell a political agenda that supplements their respective interests to the international community and seeks their support. If these agendas are not bought by the international community, the credibility and neutrality of the international community becomes no longer valid; hence, these organizations become a subject of pretentious allegations. This has become the norm, particularly for the UN, the African Union Mission In Somalia (AMISOM), IGAD, and the neighboring countries namely, Ethiopia and Kenya; on the other hand, if the international community supports the will and the schemes of such individual groups, their presence and involvement in Somali politics are exceedingly commended and championed by the same groups that set the agendas. Hypocrisy in action, right!!
The problem we need to examine and understand here is clear. No UN, EU or IGAD was present in Somalia when we rebelled against our functioning government and ousted it in 1991. So, why couldn’t we agree on forming a steady government after the fall of Siyad Barre? Assume that the international community and neighboring countries created this mess in Somalia, and would want to extend this endless disaster. If that were the case, who are they using to implement their desired strategies? Who made possible for these so-called foreigners to interfere in our internal politics? We must stop blaming others and put our house in order! I am not here to advocate for the presence of foreign representatives on our soil, nor am I implying every country or organization involved in Somalia’s stabilization process is honest and desires to see Somalia flourish. And yes, there might be those who would want to take advantage of Somalia’s current situation in different ways. But remember, in our quest to eliminate one another, it was us who sought the support of our neighboring countries, and international communities alike. It’s us who tirelessly continue to destroy our country to benefit our ugly and spiteful clan politics. We Somalis need to blame ourselves and stop pointing fingers at others.
What are the Fundamental Problems for Somalia’s Endless Turmoil?
Somalia has been through difficult times in its history. The nation is known for its perseverance, heroism and courage. With lesser technology, financial capacity and military might, Somalia fought against Italy and the British to enjoy its independence in 1960. (In Spite of All—I am Proud to be a Somali!). You might be asking yourself, what is the difference between that Somalia of 1960, and this Somalia of 2014? How could our fathers have fought for their independence in so many fronts and forcefully triumphed, while we can’t even agree on anything today?
The Somalia of today lacks the intent, courage, and resolution to agree on common goals. It lacks the bravery to stand up to its respective clan, and declare independence and match towards nationalism. There is no single Somali clan or region that can claim a unified political agenda. Did you ever think about the technical aptitude, and the leadership skills of the then Somali Youth League (SYL) that unified Somalia towards a common goal 70 years ago? Why can’t that same Somalia foster similar devotion and passion for its nation’s wellbeing today? What happened to our celebrated collective values as it relates to our nation?
Each clan is fighting to conquer additional territory when they can’t even nurture and improve their existing precincts. Each clan wants to become the president or the prime minster of the country, when they can’t even govern the districts they live in. What happened to common sense? This brings me to a song by our great artist Mohamed Lafoole, in which he tries to awaken Somalis to their devastating chronological behaviors, with a chorus line that reads “If you’re so egotistical among yourself, and tribalism is so good, go take a look at your clan—to have them rule the graveyards.” His insinuation is that the nation will have no more people to govern, but cemeteries as clans continue to kill one another. You can listen to the song here. The two fundamental causes of our problem are clan politics, and corruption. You can’t treat an illness unless you diagnose it, and accept to go through the treatment process.
Who Holds the Master Key?
We can keep blaming others, but the fact is, no one will fix our conundrums, unless we come to terms with them, understand that there is no clan that is more powerful than the other, that is superior to the other, or more significant than the other, and unless we value individual talent over clansmanship, and realize we have one common goal, interest, and destination—to see a stable and prosperous Somalia. We can co-exist only collectively! Today, Somalia has an unprecedented opportunity. There are thousands of well-educated Somalis in most sought after skills such as, Medicine, Engineering, Law, Public and Business Administrations, MIS, Accounting/Finance and Economics, Journalism, etc. who can effectively contribute to the nation’s recovery. The international community is heavily engaged in Somalia’s stabilization process and is determined to see through a successful political settlement in Somalia. In addition to the political stabilization, the international community has undertaken the training and arming of the Somali National Army (SNA), which is very critical in securing and stabilizing the nation. Furthermore, there are thousands of entrepreneurial spirited Somalis who run multimillion-dollar ventures both inside the country and overseas. Security and stability have been gradually restored back to normalcy in the country, and Al-Shabab is rapidly losing grips as it suffers defeat and vacates one city after the other to the SNA and regional authorities supported by the AMISOM troops. Today, we have the manpower and the support to enable Somalia to succeed.
This is an opportunity that we cannot waste. We all must contribute to our political process, engage healthy dialogue, and foster good companionable intentions that promote peace and successful Somalia. We must work with the UN, AMISOM, IGAD, EU, and the U.S. among others, who are committed to supporting Somalia. The key to our solution rests in our hands, not in the hands of others. Thus, we must harness this golden opportunity to move our nation forward. We must capture our imagination, save our people, and say thank you to our international partners. Finally, we must remember our heroic SYL and learn from them on how they united behind a common goal.
Isaac Muhammad
Email: [email protected]
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Isaac Muhammad is a writer and political analyst based in Minnesota, United States. follow him on twitter @Isaacmuhammad1
Reference
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[1] http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/jul/20/un-declares-famine-somalia
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