After the bombshell of UN Monitoring Group, what is next for Somalia? By: Hassan Yusuf Waal
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he Somalia calamity could have been ended long time ago, if there were a genuine effort to put the country back on its feet. After 1993 Operation Restore Hope and subsequent UNOSOM mission, the international community had turned a blind eye on the problems of the Nation of Bards. The early 90’s intervention was a perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, we, the Somalis, messed that opportunity up.
I put the blame not on; the woman who lost her three children and unborn baby on the road to Kenya refugee camp, escaping from famine; the millions of children who did not reach their first year birthday because of preventable disease; the thousands of desperate young people who died in the high seas on their way to the West in search of a better life, but on the self-elected, unfit leaders who have carte blanche to violate human rights and embezzle public funds.
The hands-off approach of the international community exacerbated the dire situation of Somalia. New problems had emerged-terrorism and piracy. Many young people died due to piracy activity and thousands are currently detained across the world. According to Earth Foundation, piracy in Somali cost the world economy $7 billion last year. In addition, The cost of counter –piracy military operations is huge and yet pirates took in $160m last year.
Many civilians died in between suicide bombs and drone attacks. We live in a global village where there is a high degree of interconnectedness. The Somali problem is not confined to Somalia. Unstable Somalia is detrimental to the stability of Eastern Africa region and beyond.
The current Transitional Federal Government exists in name only. It’s function was to do three things: firstly build public and civic institutions, secondly heal the wounds from the past by establishing truth and reconciliation commission and thirdly politically negotiate with the tempered radicals in Al-Shabaab who are ready for peace. The TFG failed to achieve all of them.
President Museveni of Uganda recently said that “the challenge for Somalia now is that of unelected leaders who do not concentrate on uniting their country but instead concentrate on getting external sponsors to keep them in power” (see www.newvision.co.ug).
The leaked UN Monitoring Group corruption report alleges that the TFG leadership involved in pervasive and rampant corruption. “The episode illustrates a fundamental problem with the Transitional Federal Institutions: that their leaders have successfully marketed the government’s weakness, fragility and possible collapse as a lure to attract more assistance. As a result, corruption, embezzlement and fraud are no longer symptoms of mismanagement, but have in fact become a system of management,” the report said.
The revelation by the Monitoring Group did not surprise the Somali people. It may have shocked the newly born South Sudanese government which learnt the little it donated to Somali people was stolen. By the way, according Transparent International, Somalia is the most corrupt country in the world (182 in CPI).
So what is next for Somalia? The Somali people deserve better than this. The Somali people are very proud people who love their country. They boast a rich culture and entrepreneurial mindset. They have been ready for a long time to put their house in order. But, there is one missing cog-effective leadership. Leadership who have the traits of patriotism, integrity, vision and political experience.
It seems the international community is treating the symptoms rather than the root causes of Somali problem. You cannot leave a broken society alone. And you add insult to injury when you support self-elected and unfit leaders who tear down the already broken society.
It is difficult to petrol 3000km long coast. It is also hard to defeat Al-Shabaab militarily. There must be a land-based solution- an effective government with effective leadership.
It is a new beginning for Somali politics. I commend the recent unprecedented international conferences for Somalia, spearheaded by Britain and Turkey. They consulted with different groups of the society including traditional elders and women. The outcome was that we, the Somalis, need technocrats who can set out a new direction for the people and the country.
I also commend Secretary Hillary Clinton’s remarks on peace spoilers in London Somali Conference. "the position of the United States is straightforward: attempts to obstruct progress and maintain the broken status quo will not be tolerated” Clinton said.
The current Somali leadership did not answer (show evidence) the recent World Bank corruption allegation report. And I do not think they will do the UN one.
It is also clear that they are obstructing the Roadmap process. The constituent assembly should approve provisionally the draft constitution on the 31st of April 2012. The constituent assembly is not even ready now. The Parliamentarians were to be appointed on 15th of June 2012. It has not yet happened. And it is less than 30 days away from the election day.
At least these corruption reports could be deterrent for those who will seek election of public office to steal public funds. But more is needed. All individuals implicated in the reports should be brought to justice. They should be banned in the political process. Donors must have zero tolerance for future corruption.
Lastly, to stop the suffering of many Somalis and to stop all the problems unstable Somalia poses, the international community should support Somali leadership who are transparent and accountable for their people and donors.
Hassan Yusuf Waal
BA and MA in Economics
hassaneksaato@hotmail.com
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