Somalia (1960- ) is the country at the Horn of Africa. It has produced Iman, the supermodel, as well as pirates who make the evening news. In 1991 Siad Barre was overthrown and the country sank into an unending civil war that goes on even now, 18 years later.
The numbers: in a country of 9 million, 1 million have died in the war and its knock-on effects of famine and disease. Another million have fled their homes, some living in nearby countries, some living in utter poverty just outside the capital, the once beautiful city of Mogadishu. Three million depend on food aid from abroad. It is what is called a failed state.
As I write this on May 22nd 2009 the government is fighting for control of Wadnaha Road – in the capital! That is how weak it is.
In 2006, after years of fighting between warlords, the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) gained control of much of the south and took over the capital. They wanted to rule the country through sharia or strict Muslim law.
It seemed like peace was at hand. But then the UIC threatened a holy war against Ethiopia. So Ethiopia sent in its troops and overthrew the UIC. Ethiopia’s dead soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu just like the Americans were in 1993. (The way the Americans pulled out shortly after that persuaded Osama bin Laden that they lacked courage, which in turn led to 9/11.)
Ethiopia as a foreign power could not put a strong government in place. As part of a United Nations peace deal, they pulled out in January 2009 and left behind Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as president. Ahmed used to belong to the UIC and as the new president of Somalia he even set up sharia law.
It sounded good but it did not satisfy everyone, in particular some of the extreme bits of the UIC which now do business as al-Shabab and Hisbul-Islam. They saw Ahmed as a sell-out. They follow a Wahhabi form of Islam, which is far more extreme and Taliban-like than what most Somalis follow.
But, truth be told. al-Shabab is probably less concerned with fine points of religion and more concerned with being in power. They know the government is weak and are going in for the kill.
Because Somalia lacks a strong government it cannot control its long coastline, which is near one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. So no surprise that it has become a nest of pirates.
Somalia was formed in 1960 by joining the Italian colony of Somalia and the British protectorate of Somaliland in the north (now independent again in practice and doing well, unlike the south). Most people are Somalis and Sunni Muslims. Unlike many countries in Africa, Somalia is not divided by religion or language, but it is divided by clan.
In addition to the 9 million Somalis who live in Somalia itself, there are 5 million in Ogaden in eastern Ethiopia, 350,000 in Djibouti, nearly a million in Yemen and a half million in Kenya.
See also:
- Ethiopia
- Wahhabis
- Islam
- United Nations
- Taliban
- Yasmin Warsame – a Canadian model from Somalia
Well,if you had done more research, you would have found that althought the South is troubled, the north and central parts of Somalia are doing quite good. It’s safe and there is a thriving economy in port cities like Bosasso. These regions are called Puntland and Somaliland and they have their own local adminstrations and there is law and order.
Somalis in the Diaspora have invested heavily in these parts. Infact, Somalia has one of the best telecommunications industry in Africa and there is a booming property industry.
So its not all doom and gloom.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good point, but from what I understand Somaliland is doing well and has kept clear of the violence in the south, as you say, while Puntland is, in fact, the centre of the piracy. It is doing well only in the sense that it is raking in millions from the pirates. You might call that prosperity after a fashion but it is not law and order.
LikeLike
I think it’s really great that you did an article about this country. I hope that you will do more articles of East and North African descent. I love the way that Iman looks and thinks that she’s one of the most beautiful women in the world. I’m part Somalian myself and would love to see more black women that look like on TV.
LikeLike
Piracy did not begin because the Somali government couldn’t control Somalis, it began because corporations from so-called “developed” countries dumped toxic waste in Somalia’s waters in some parts and overfishing illegally in others. This began in the ’90s. Somalis did take this to the UN but they were ignored. So Somalis, as they tend to do, took the matter of self-defense of their rights and fought off invading ships. However, eventually, some groups saw it as a potentially prosperous endeavour and decided to ransom.
However, it disgusts me that the pollution, invasion, and ransacking of a nation that has been too long taken advantage of by Western power is not even recognized. It is as if they and their plight is invisible to the world. Even though they suffer in part due to Western and “developed” nations and corporations. And thus, neo-colonialism continues the raping of the motherland. Who will stand up for Africa? And on a deeper level, rather than the more popular superficial level, where images of starved children and adults are shown in order for charities and organizations to generate money. And where does that money often go to? In the hands of corrupt puppet regimes that dominate in many African nations, and therefore rarely is seen by those who truly need it. Feeding the poor will not create a long-term solution. Although it is necessary, this will not alleviate the inequality that exists on all levels of international governance and economic transactions and that is maintained by the powerful (that is, the “developed” nations’ governments, international financial institutions, global capitalists, among others). Only a deep revolution – or rather, evolution that must occur on all levels of international governance, organizations, trades, laws, and so on. Yet the powerful have a vested interest in maintaining the current state of things, or even tipping it further to their benefit and further disadvantaging so-called “undeveloped” nations. That is because their wealth, and the subsequent power it grants them, depends on it. And they are seemingly almost purely motivated in accumulated continuously greater wealth and power. It almost makes one in awe of the absolute greed that humans have the potential to possess. Will it ever be enough? And I believe the answer is a resounding no.
LikeLike
I recently re-read a book about African food and history. The section about East Africa and Somalia shows how nations, like individual people, have cycles of ups and downs.
Source: The Peppers, Cracklings and Knots of Wool Cookbook by Diane M. Spivey page 10
(Chapter 1 – Feasting Among The “Eastern Ethiopians”) published 1999
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even though Somalia is a “failed state” is has manged to increase there GDP significantly. This idea that we need a Western style “law and order” state to define what is civilized society is BS. The Clan system in Somalia goes back a thousand years but because it is not based on Western norms it is considered primitive. What the West wants is somebody in charge that they can payoff so they can funnel resources out of the country.
LikeLike
@ michaeljonbarker
Good point: “failed”, like “the Free World” or “terrorist”, is defined in terms of Western interests.
LikeLike
While I dislike the term “failed state” because it is often used to describe societies that never had a state in the first place, I have yet to see a system that is superior to the state in terms of power to manage large populations.
Somalia specifically arguably slipped into civil war because the clan system was to inflexible to adjust to new problems and collapsed.
LikeLike
@Kartoffel
Somalia slipped into civil war because their government collapsed and in that vacuum the U.S. has attempted to set up a puppet goverment. The country has been flooded with arms and drone strikes are.common. The Clan system is what Somalis fell back on and that deals with “law and order” from Somali tradition, not a Western one.
You don’t need Western style courts to have and find justice within a community.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeer
LikeLiked by 1 person
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa/somalia-ancient-lost-kingdom-punt-finally-found-006893?nopaging=1
LikeLike