Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Al-Shabab is a militant group aiming to overthrow the Somali government and impose shariah law in the nation. (File photo)
Al-Shabab is a militant group aiming to overthrow the Somali government and impose shariah law in the nation. It is comprised of terrestrial fighters, including child soldiers, who terrorize the populations in regions struck by the drought.
Additionally, al-Shabab may work conjunction with the now infamous pirate population which terrorizes the waters off the Horn of Africa coastline. While the definitive connection has not yet been made, there are suspicions that pirate ransoms are funding al-Shabab’s ground offensives.
Lacking any true centralized government since 1991, Somalia is a perfect breeding ground for al-Shabab who pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in Yemen and Al-Zawahiri’s ascent to the top position in the umbrella organization. Claimed impotent by many, al-Qaeda has nevertheless wreaked havoc on a destabilizing Yemen.
US drones attacked al-Qaeda targets in Yemen in May and al-Shabab in Somalia in June following increasingly brazen statements from al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP’s) leader encouraging attacks abroad.
This security situation makes addressing the famine in Somalia difficult though the extremist group recently lifted the two-year ban on aid workers, allowing the first airlift of medicine and food to touch down in controlled territory this week.
The elderly, for the most part, are waiting in their villages without livestock – cattle have either died or moved onto other pastures searching for food as well – too weak to move.
UNICEF estimated 2 million children are living malnourished while 500,000 of the malnourished are in a critical state. It also estimated 4 children per 10,000 die every day due to malnourishment.
Meanwhile, an estimated 3,000 people, daily, are arriving at refugee camps in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia, ballooning the populations and adding further stress on limited food supplies.
UNICEF estimated $31.8 million will be needed to fully address the current crisis in Somalia and the refugees in surrounding countries over the next three months. Britain has pledged £52 million ($73 million) while the international community
Long-term solutions would include developing drought-resistant crops for food supply as well as nourishment for livestock.
Further, investment in roads and electricity would improve accessibility of aid agencies to the regions in times of need as well as allow rural economies to develop beyond their current agricultural-centric status.
While not confirmed, exploration studies across Somalia estimate potentially large oil reserves which could fuel infrastructure development. In addition, aid agencies should take this a step further and teach locally-sustainable methods of energy generation to improve the quality of life for Somalis, some of which still follow the nomadic way of life.
International agencies and nations alike should study the Somali way of life across various clans and areas to develop customized methods of storage, higher crop yields, and diversification of food supply.
Nevertheless, the situation will not meaningfully improve until the presence of al-Shabab is mitigated. In the mid-1990s, the Americans withdrew from warring Somalia after images of killed American soldiers being dragged down Mogadishu streets were burned into the American psyche. That emotionally-scarring experience has prevented any meaningful international attempts at aiding the Somali people develop a permanent constitution and effective government.
Beyond the immediate humanitarian needs of the drought-stricken Somalis, their political plight must be recognized with help given.
Following international recognition of the Transitional National Council in Libya last week, Syrian opposition groups met to organize and seek similar recognition. Perhaps the repeated nature of natural disasters on Somalia will prompt opposition groups previously in hiding to emerge on the world stage and ask for political help.
Even in a so-called ‘failed state,’ there is always hope that a disaster will create an opening for progress. Presently, the number one concern is securing aid personnel traveling into al-Shabab held territories to deliver critically-needed aid.
(Mary E Stonaker is an independent scholar, most recently with the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore. She can be contacted at marystonaker@gmail.com)
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