THE
REASONS OF THE SOMALI DEBACLE
HOW TO AVOID THAT GUNS AND FANATICISM
DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF SOMALIA
Rome 4 June 2009, Nino Sergi
INTERSOS Secretary General
(Translation from original version
in Italian)
Foreword
Somalia is a country where the situation can improve or worsen
quickly. Today it is heading towards the worst: hundreds of thousands
of people are fleeing the fight or are hit by shortages of food,
water and healthcare. Do the conditions exist for a solution that
can end instability and conflict that have characterized the country
since 1991?
1. The International Community and Somalia
In few days, the 9th and 10th of June, the International Somalia
Contact Group (ISCG), chaired by the Secretary General Special Representative
for Somalia, Mr Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, will gather in Rome. Among
the others the meeting will see the presence of high representatives
from a number of International Organizations. Notably, the African
Union (AU), the European Union (both the Commission and the Presidency),
the Arab League, the Organisation of The Islamic Conference (OIC),
the World Bank, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in
Eastern Africa (IGAD). Moreover, a number of States will take part
to the meeting, among the other: Italy, Tanzania, United States,
Norway and Sweden. While the Somali President, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,
will greet the audience.
The previous meeting in Rome was held the 10th of September 2007.
In re-reading its final declaration one is struck by the absence
of strong ideas that could prove effective in helping the country
to break the vicious circle in which it was locked. And that was
a time where the conditions seemed in place to achieve some success.
At the time, the endless list of good auspices of the ISCG included:
'the acknowledgement of the improvements in security'; 'the expression
of concern for the continuing situation of violence'; 'the welcoming
of the commitment by the President A. Yusuf to pave the way for
a political process that could reclaim the trust of the Somali population
to the central state'; 'the underlining of the worsening of the
humanitarian situation’. Moreover the group committed itself
to: 'following with attention the development of political dialogue',
'inviting the federal institutions to elaborate a timetable that
could envisage multi-party elections by 2009'. Finally, the group
invited 'all the parties to renounce violence, to participate to
the political dialogue and to rebuff the extremists'. The declarations
of the subsequent meetings would have continued to broaden the list
of auspices and acknowledgements, sometimes accompanying them with
substantial financial commitments.
Re-reading these declarations while looking at the latest dramatic
developments that are unfolding in front of us, raise the question
about whether the main cause of the actual situation is the omissions,
mistakes, delays of the International Community itself. The issue
is bothersome, but is necessary to have the courage to pose this
question. The Somalis and the Transitional Government of Somalia
carry important responsibilities, but what is impressive today is
the gap between the vision and the action of the International actors
involved, that sometimes are self-satisfied by the official documents,
and the evolving situation on the ground.
It was a duty of the UN, whose leadership had been acknowledged
in Stockholm in October 2004, to guide and sustain the transitional
process, and to strengthen the local, regional and central authorities.
The two UN Representatives that have taken the responsibility of
the process, despite their excellent credentials, have not been
able to fulfil their mandate and to contribute to the solution of
the problems that, on the other hand, have worsened. Despite some
excellent initiatives, there have been too many delays, indecision,
and mistakes in the assessments and in the decisions that have been
taken. The same organisation that was endowed with this mandate,
the UNPOS that is based in Nairobi (Kenya), with its 700-strong
workforce, seems to be over-proportioned compared with the results
achieved. Too many workshops and seminaries frequently held abroad,
for Somali policy-makers and administrators while the country was
clearly in need of something else.
Even the International Agencies that were in charge of strengthening
the local institutions, have failed to deliver consistent results.
Although some objective difficulties on the ground have contributed
to the overall failure, many important occasions have been wasted
at a time where windows of opportunity were open. Moreover, during
the last months a strong support for the only two local administrations
of Middle Shabelle and Hiran that have remained loyal to the new
Government and the President was essential. Failure to do so has
eased the spread of the Shabab, the young mujahedeen of Somalia.
As a result of the requests for dialogue with the opposition by
the ISCG, and following the appointment of Nur Adde Hassan Hussein
as Prime Minister, a process to achieve National Unity started in
Gibuti in 2008. The process of national unity was made official
the 9th of June 2008, under the auspices of the United Nations,
and it resulted, the 31st of January 2009, in the appointment of
President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed - and the formation of a new Government.
As highlighted by recent events, this 'national unity' was perceived
to be such by the International Community, rather than by all the
Somalis. The authority of the new Government was limited only to
some areas of Mogadishu and to two regions north of the Shabelle
River, while the remaining parts of the country remained in the
hands of those who continuously rejected this 'national unity'.
As such, the new Government was enjoying external strength and legitimacy
while internally it was extremely weak.
Moreover, the strength of the Shabab has been systematically under-estimated.
This was despite the early warning signs that, after the killing
of the militia leader Aden Hashi Ayro in an US missile attack the
1st of May 2008, a strong military campaign was undergoing. Kidnappings,
killings and attacks against the International Agencies and NGOs
have increased in number and intensity, while the progressive occupation
of the territory was under-estimated and described as 'social criminality'
by the Security Department of the UN. The process was further accelerated
by the untimely declaration, after the international meeting convened
in Brussels the 23rd of April, which announced the commitment of
$215 million to strengthen the Somali security forces. This announcement
has proven to be a major incentive for the fundamentalist opposition
to launch the final attack.
On the other hand, in the last days the enforcement of measures
to block airports and ports in rebel-controlled areas seems to be
effective. In fact, given the importance of economic interests for
all the warring parties, the negative effects of these measures
on a number of business activities can result in the withdrawal
of support for the rebel factions by relevant clans and businessmen.
It is difficult to foresee the relevance of these trends; however,
what can be noticed is that when there is political will to intervene
there are instruments to do it, and in many cases these do not include
the use of force that often ‘displace’ the problem without
solving it.
2. The issue at stake: The soul of Somalia
Much has been said about the internal divisions of the Shabab and
the other opposition parties. However, the unifying effect of religious
fanaticism has been effective in downscaling internal debates, favouring
a development from a tactical alliance (around February 2009) to
a strategic unity that has resulted in the well-coordinated offensive
from the 7th of May onwards. On the other hand the International
Community has not undertaken either a major rethinking or acknowledgement
of previous mistakes, nor the definition of a real strategy to strengthen
the institutions which they intend to support, but only a “passing
of the buck” regarding the request for a “major attention
from the International Community”, which in this context has
become an external entity to discharge direct responsibilities of
the single States.
The 'community' that is behind the Shabab appears totally different.
Firstly, these once 'young' mujahedeen are now grown up. Already,
in 2005 with the new Transitional Institutions installed in Jowhar,
Mogadishu was renowned for the many young, who were trained for
military actions, in some cases while continuing their normal studies.
It is consequently evident that the hardcore of the group was formed
long ago. These youngsters have now become adults. They split into
autonomous territorial and tribal groups, frequently clashing between
them. They have been joined by a vast number of desperate young
militiamen, who were born surrounded by weapons, and are available
to undertake whatever action, including crimes, violence and pillage,
in order to survive. They have their own 'international community’
to refer to. This ‘community’ sustains them, feeds their
ideology, supplies them with weapons and has been able to tighten
the ranks of the rebels allowing them to show, in few weeks, a degree
of coherence evidenced in their attack against the Transitional
Institutions. Some observers have reported that the number of foreigners
among them amount to hundreds, and is on the rise. Between them
are some Somalis of the diaspora that are coming back from Europe,
America and the Middle East to support a rebellion against Institutions
that they consider a mere mirror of foreign interests of States
and of the UN, rather than genuinely committed to the well-being
of the Somalis. Some of them are pushed by the frustration of years
spent without seeing any significant result or improvement.
From the onset in 2004, the Somali Institutions lack a soul and
values. They are the result of external and internal calculations,
weights and counterweights, with policy-makers ready to split and
fight whenever they see in interest in it. The sense of community
and common good is overridden by greedy personal and family interests.
Security should be ensured by a force that remains fragmented and
unmotivated, and that should be trained and armed ideologically
rather than with weapons. The relevance of traditional Islam has
been under-estimated, while it represents the only unifying element
that can contrast the inter-clan divisions. Islamic values and traditions
contribute significantly today to gathering forces under the banner
of 'Ahlu-l-Sunna wa-l-Jama’a' to limit the fundamentalist
drift of the Shabab. There are some reliable personalities, including
the President, the Prime Minister and some Ministers and Members
of the Parliament, but they should be supported far more seriously,
even by involving the healthy part of the civil society that in
the last years have provided the population with answers and services
that the central government has failed to supply. These efforts
have not been undertaken in the past and are not being sufficiently
undertaken at the moment.
Maybe it is not still clear that the struggle that is being fought
is for the soul of Somalia itself. On one side are the 'real foreigners',
armed with a nazi islamic ideology that wishes to substitute the
funding values of the Somalis with a political and religious organisation
that is not rooted in the Somali society. On the other side is a
government that should defend the basic values of the clanic and
religious traditions, but that has inherited the legacy of mistakes
made by its predecessors and is identified with international partners
that have contributed to these mistakes. This is not an issue that
is destined to be limited to the Somali borders: what Somalia will
be and the ways in which its future will be defined will have important
repercussions in the region and abroad.
Is it still possible to leave this blind alley, after having unwittingly
contributed, to putting Somalis one against another, by thinking
that the democratic rule of majority could allow us to under-estimate
a relevant minority, whose claims would have been better to hear
with more attention? Not much imagination was needed to foresee
that a solution that was not inclusive of the opposition forces,
that at the time had a different political and unarmed agenda, would
have proven difficult to implement despite the international backing
it enjoyed.
Probably, some of the leaders of the opposition are also well aware
that even if they will seize the power with guns, they will hardly
be able to govern a country that will remain fragmented and in continuous
conflict, only in the name of Islam.
But maybe this is not the aim of the fundamentalists. Maybe it has
already been achieved by showing that the Federal Institutions do
not have any autonomy and are totally dependent upon external backing.
In Mogadishu they are supported by the African Union peacekeeping
force (AMISOM), while in Belet Weyne, in the north, they are protected
by the proximity of Ethiopian forces. By showing this weakness the
rebels can justify, even by enjoying a certain amount of consensus,
their continuous challenge to the federal authority and the destabilization
of the state. This would be the worst scenario for Somalia.
Without underestimating what- good or bad- has been done to this
point, the fundamental need would be to involve the opposition into
the political process; thus excluding only those that are manifestly
supportive of terrorism or qaedist practices, carefully, and not
in a prejudicial and superficial way, as happened in the past. Hearing
and considering the different proposals, to the limit of reasonableness,
despite the political difficulties involved, is the approach that
should have been followed, patiently, from the onset. This not only
would have allowed for a better understanding of the rationale behind
the proposals, but even to accept the meaningful requests while
rejecting the others without necessarily breaking the dialogue.
In sum a respectful dialogue without prejudicial dogmas. On the
other hand, in the majority of cases the path chosen has been the
easiest: of prejudice and exclusion, even when the reality was suggesting
a different solution as in the case of the Union of the Islamic
Courts in 2006. All of this was with the ideological background
of the 'War on Terror' that, with its blindness, has contributed
to generating terror where it was absent. In conclusion the path
of dialogue should be resumed, whatever the difficulties, even if
someone considers this impossible.
3. 'The worst humanitarian crisis in Africa'
This is the definition given by the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon
already one year ago. This assessment is confirmed by all the Humanitarian
Organizations that are operating in Somalia. More than three million
Somalis, with an increase of 80% from 2007, are suffering today
as a consequence of the conflict. These include the vicious circle
of violence and insecurity, and the cyclical drought that produces
famine and kills the cattle. Initially the armed clashes had their
centre in Mogadishu, from which almost half the population fled
from the beginning of 2007, and then they have expanded to the centre-south
of the country for half of 2008. The internally displaced persons
(IDPs) have sought shelter outside the capital, in particular on
the roads that connect it with Afgoye, while others have returned
to their regions of origin that were already stricken with drought.
Some of them attempted to return to Mogadishu hoping for a more
peaceful period after the formation of the Government of National
Unity, but the clashes resumed in early May, resulting in 70 thousand
new displacements in a few weeks. Those that are unable to move
are the poor, who live on nothing. Poverty and insecurity, hunger,
the lack of water resources and healthcare- the difficulties in
survival are seriously hitting the population. One child out of
six under the age of five, in particular in the centre-south of
the country, is seriously undernourished and is at risk to die.
No more than 15% of the population has access to basic healthcare.
Around 500 thousand people have found shelter in other countries.
The refugee camps in Kenya and Yemen have grown month after month
despite the tighter checks at the border, and thousands have died
in the Gulf of Aden.
The crisis does not enjoy media support. There are not TV journalists
or testimonials as in 1991-1992, even though the actual situation
is at risk to deteriorate to the point of those tragic years.
The attention and the engagement of the International Community
to face the Humanitarian Crisis remains dramatically insufficient.
The Somali and International NGOs have asked for an increase in
funds and attention, denouncing the seriousness of the situation.
However, it is crucial to highlight the responsibilities of the
Somalis themselves, including the violations perpetrated by the
authorities themselves that have intimidated and harassed their
own citizens, while the bandits were ready to self-enrich at the
expenses of those unable to defend themselves by buying protection.
The same humanitarian access to the population in need is often
difficult and insecure, characterized by armed clashes, roadblocks,
stealing, that can peak at the point of killings and kidnappings
of the same humanitarian personnel who attempt to provide relief.
The decision to leave Somalia has been taken too early and too quickly.
The truth is that since the 1990s only a small number of International
Organizations have established their Headquarters in the country,
rather preferring the more stable and secure Nairobi; thus, forcing
all the actors on the ground to refer to institutions outside the
country. This was the case even before May 2008 when, after the
killing of the Shabab leader Aden Hashi Ayro, the offensive against
everything that could be linked with the West started.
Up to that date many occasions have been wasted. It is evident that
it is not the same to support a country from 2000km away, or while
living in it siding with the local populations and institutions.
But priority has been given to Nairobi, to the needs of the wide
international presence and its countless meetings. The remote management
of projects has become the rule for many of them.
The work of the International Community has indubitably been 'for',
but only rarely it has been developed 'with' the recipients. Where
implemented, this partnership could have given to the action the
added value that may have contributed to a different overall outcome.
It is consequently important to praise that Humanitarian Agencies
and NGOs that, where possible, have tried to stick with their mandate.
These are the ones that, while providing aid, have shown the will
to share the difficulties with the local population and institutions.
It is important as well to praise the Somali NGOs and other actors
that, often carrying a risk, have shown dedication and commitment
towards those in need, frequently struggling with the profit-seekers
and exposing themselves to dangerous situations.
The phenomenon of the so-called 'donor’s fatigue' has been
characterizing Somalia for a long time. This mean an overall reduction
of aid flows even if, luckily, some major donors- notably the European
Union- are fulfilling and renewing their commitments. However, the
trend towards a scaled-down engagement determined by distrust and
objective difficulties is real and is at risk of worsening. This
is even because the international engagement is today focused on
the issue of piracy, to the point that for some the Somali problem
is read only through security lenses distorted by commercial interests.
The perverse rationale behind this is that it can be possible to
separate the issue of piracy from the lack of opportunities for
thousands of young Somalis, and from the drought and shortages that
hit the northeast of the country.
Concerning piracy it is good to highlight that the extension of
this phenomenon is another example of missed opportunities, under-estimations,
and superficiality in assessing the issues at the onset in order
to give a quick and more effective response. The underestimation
and delay in fighting it is evidenced by the fact that the first
request in this sense came from the Prime Minister Ali Ghedi already
three years ago. These mistakes have been brought to a present point
in which the connections and ramifications of the issue are far
wider, and the extent of the engagement necessary to fight it is
higher than the one needed at the onset, when the first early warning
signs were detected.
It will be a grievous mistake not to answer to the concrete needs
of the population, frequently connected with issues of survival.
But together with food, water and healthcare there are other long-term
needs such as education, vocational training, agricultural production,
breeding, and microcredit to start up enterprises. Failure to do
so would not only imply a second fiasco of the International Community,
but even the implicit decision to leave the country in the hands
of the higher bidder, as it is already partially happening. The
consequences of these decisions can be easily envisaged.
4. What can be done?
Which are the keys to break this deadlock? We will highlight here
some of the possible solutions that directly involve the International
Community and the ISCG itself.
Ethiopia has always been seen as the enemy power, interested in
the stability or instability of Somalia only as a consequence of
its own internal and external interests. Consequently, in this phase,
Ethiopia cannot be involved in the process in Somalia, and having
done so in the past was a mistake. The arbitrary military occupation
of the 24th December 2006, against the will of the Resolution 1725
of the Security Council, and the inhumane attitude of the Ethiopian
forces deployed in Somalia, have strengthened the mistrust of the
Somalis towards their neighbour. Moreover the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict
has a direct influence on Somalia. Its resolution, following the
decision of the Boundary Commission of 2002 that has been recognized
but not implemented, could contribute not only to pacification between
these two countries but even to stabilize Somalia. Eritrea, which
is fighting its war against Ethiopia, even by using Somalia as a
proxy, by sustaining the rebel groups and, maybe, supplying them
with weapons, is a crucial actor in continuing the patterns of instability
and war. A renewed and strong engagement towards the resolution
of the Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict should become a priority for
the ISCG, by seizing every possible opportunity to move in this
direction, even when this implies re-discussing consolidated geopolitical
partnerships. It would be positive to table the issue of Somalia
in the Agenda of the next G8, even only as an indication of attention
in order to set a priority on which working in the subsequent months.
This would be an important political sign for the entire Horn of
Africa- a sign that there is a real resolve to engage in the issues
to contribute to ending the causes of instability and impoverishment
of those countries, and favour a new framework of peace, regional
cooperation and development. Only if the solution of the Eritrea-Ethiopia
issue is achieved will be fully possible for the IGAD to work and
for the African Union to throw its political weight in the area.
On the internal situation it is extremely difficult to make any
forecast given the progressive deterioration that has determined
the wielding of the once divided oppositions. If only some weeks
ago it was possible to tell that only a small amount of leaders
were connected with qaedist groups, today this is maybe not true
anymore.
Divisions among the different Shabab groups and between them and
the Hisbul Islam, the Islamic party, are nowadays downgraded thanks
to the unifying force of warring Salafism and the hatred towards
the institutions 'imposed by the foreigners', against which it is
essential to fight. However less relevant, these divisions should
not be forgotten. Both inside the Shabab and the Hisbul Islam there
are differences between fundamentalists positions, connected with
international terrorism, and others more political and with nationalist
goals. The latter should receive more attention before they will
disappear as a consequence of the developments on the ground. Understanding
their goals and rationale is essential, unless the will is to rely
once more on the use of force. In this case, the result would be
to create a second Afghanistan, to radicalise the conflict and prolong
the sufferance of the population.
One of these positions was aiming at a political solution, entirely
Somali, not driven or imposed from abroad. The proposal was to gather
a national conference among Somalis that, at an equal level and
without external interferences, could find a solution ‘totally
internal and as such a final one, because all the suggestions coming
from abroad had proven to be untenable’. The rationale behind
this position is that previous solutions have always favoured some
factions against others, thus contributing to strengthening divisions
in order to answer to interests different from the Somali ones.
This purely nationalistic position, although unrealistic, is legitimate
and should be taken into account in order to sustain the residual
Somali national pride that, in the last years, has almost disappeared
as a consequence of the idea that the solution to Somali problems
would have always come from abroad. Where translated into action
this position rejects the interference of Ethiopia, given the history
of conflict between the two countries and the subordination of the
IGAD and AU to the powerful neighbour. As a consequence, it rebuffs
any Ethiopic or AU military presence that is considered as partial.
Moreover, the backers of this national plan highlight the shortcomings
of the International Community, which has proven to be unable to
understand the Somali reality and the developments on the ground,
as a consequence of entrenched political and religious prejudices.
Furthermore, the International Community has been unable to cease
the hostilities and sustain a genuine peace process, alleviate sufferance
and provide relief to people in despair. Finally, this position
rejects the Gibuti process, considered as the result of divisions
and compromises. Clearly there is no reference to the rejection
of Eritrean interference as this is understandable.
It can be sustained that it would be naïve to believe in the
possibility of a genuine national conference, deprived of any external
influence. However, if these kinds of national positions, that have
enjoyed the continuous support of the ARS and Hisbul Islam, are
not taken into consideration, the only other option is a relapse
into armed conflict. These are political options that can be difficult
to accept, or that can appear rather simplistic, primarily because
they advocate a will of shifting from the patterns of external interference.
However, they cannot be rejected without careful consideration.
In order to make peace one has to talk with the opponent at one
point. This would imply taking into consideration the other’s
ideas and positions. This has not been always attempted in the past,
on other similar occasions. This was a mistake that has been only
partially mended and only with extreme delay. It would be better
not to perpetuate the mistakes in the future. No political option
should be taken off the table, even when it could potentially result
in ‘unthinkable’ or ‘impossible’ solutions.
The risk otherwise is to perpetuate the vicious circle of violence
and insecurity, and to strengthen fundamentalist tendencies.
The duty of the Transitional Institutions is now to bring the country
towards a final phase of stabilization and peace. This is a difficult
and challenging goal. The transitional process should aim to create
new institutions, involving those actors that until today have been
strangers. All extremist groups, those that ground their action
on disrespect and annihilation of the others, must be isolated and
defeated but all the actors have to review their agendas that often
were totally detached from the reality of the ground, and contrasting
with Somali interests. By implementing this process on renewed bases
of parity and reciprocity, by Somalis and between Somalis, both
those in the country and the Diaspora, the institutions will be
strengthened and will enjoy credibility. Will this be ever possible?
The International Community should do more, with more commitment.
Piracy is only one of the elements to be taken into account, and
certainly not the first. It has to show attention, interest and
commitment towards the country, its population and its problems.
But what will be also needed is a ‘step back’, even
forcing Eritrea and Ethiopia to do the same. The political initiative
should be left to the Somalis, they have to be trusted and backed
forcefully, without direct interference, even if the solutions will
be diverging with expectations and immediate geopolitical interests.
Will this be ever possible?
5. Italy and its possible role
Given her historical linkages Italy is still considered, both in
Somalia and at the international level as an important country in
the process. Her knowledge of the local situation and the wide array
of opportunities for dialogue and mediation, are considered useful
both regarding internal relations in Somalia, and at a regional
level. As a consequence, dealing with the Somali issue is a duty
for Italy. However, this duty has been ignored or taken superficially
for a long time. It has been more based on the goodwill of single
persons, rather than on a clear and coherent political decision.
‘Italians have been our tutors, but in the most difficult
moment have left us alone. Today we only receive invitations to
reconcile that remain at a lip-service level. If Italy was to show
a more serious and continuous commitment, things could have evolved
differently’. This is a comment from 2005, but is frequently
heard in the country.
On the other hand the historical ties have resulted in Somalis looking
shelter and security in our country. This is why the majority of
refugees in Italy are coming from the Horn of Africa, and from Somalia
in particular.
Although in the last years the Ministry for Foreign affairs has
tried to sustain the difficult process of transition, a coordinated
action at ministerial level was lacking, as well as the translation
of the support in reliable commitments to be implemented through
actions of aid and cooperation, institution building, aimed at answering
to the needs of the local population. The progressive cuts of the
budget for International Development have further contributed to
the problem, even by virtually impeding any action of planning.
The Special Envoy for Somalia, Mario Raffaelli, appointed six years
ago in the occasion of the Peace Conference and reconfirmed until
January 2009, has certainly contributed to strengthen the position
of our country by showing competence and assertiveness. Having abolished
this position risks to dampen the already weak Italian action. However,
it is to be underlined that despite this risk, the last months have
seen positive developments in the relations between Italy and Somalia,
as recognized by the same Somali institutions.
The Italian Foreign Minister, Franco frattini has taken a stance
of full support for the new federal institutions, but has always
underlined the importance of a broader consensus that can include
the opposition forces. This is a position in continuity with that
of the Special Envoy, but that, thanks to the explicit commitment
of the Minister, acquires a higher political relevance. However
it is still impossible to assess if there are relevant initiatives
to follow up this pronouncement. The Cooperation is an important
tool for dialogue, but the actual position of the Ministry has assumed
a ‘defensive’ stance as a consequence of the security
concerns.
The Minister has further facilitated, in a difficult moment for
Somalia, the meeting of the ICGS in Rome, inviting for the occasion
the same Somali President, thus showing at the onset of the G8 the
will to confirm the Italian interest for Somalia. The hope is now
that from this meeting some creative solutions will be put forward,
in order to answer to the actual crisis. Moreover it would be important
if this meeting will be able to put the wider regional dimension
of the problem on the G8 agenda as a commitment for the coming months.
Finally, Mr Frattini has ordered a new flight with medicines and
emergency materials to resupply the hospitals of Mogadishu. Although
this initiative was uncoordinated with the other actions that Italy
is already undertaken, it was an important sign in a moment in which
the population is particularly affected by the fights. What is of
particular political significance is that the medicines are directed,
under the guarantee of the Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke,
to the hospital of Daynile, situated in an area of Mogadishu under
the control of the Shabab.
Italy has coordinated its actions with the European Union, and this
is laudable. Europe could have played a more important role in Somalia,
even considering the large amount of funds committed by Brussels
for humanitarian aid, basic services, reconstruction, and security.
Europe should have acted with a single voice, but at least at first
place, the discordant positions of Member Countries have surfaced
and the different European Presidencies, every six months, have
not always favoured the creation of a coherent and strong pressure
to achieve political aims. A plenipotentiary envoy of the European
Union for Somalia would have been needed in order to speak with
a single voice from the onset. A change in this field would be welcomed.
Conclusion
Everything is to be attempted in order to avoid that only guns and
fanaticism determine the future of Somalia. But a deep commitment
is needed, and consequential actions required, even where it means
following new creative paths, in contrast with a past overburdened
with failures.
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