Analysis

Foreign interventions in Somalia

Under the Bush administration, the US policies on Somalia were contradictive that oscillated between superficial support and deplorable interventions. Underestimating the negative consequences of its military gambits, Washington's priority was to quell nascent religious militants rather than empowering the internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG)


By ELIAS ADAM (elias.adam@wavemagazine.net)
from Mogadishu, SOMALIA


In the past 18 years, the international community has been generous with interventions to salvage Somalia. Unfortunately, all of them including the incumbent Transitional Unity Government (TUG) are destined to failure. The failure is often associated to Somalis' recalcitrant nature and incorrigible loyalty to tribalism, factors that do not dovetail with democratization. Islamists linked to Al-Qaida are also held accountable for the mystery in Somalia. But the reality on the ground unveils obstacles more intricate than the unruly nature of the Somalis or the religious resistance advocating for Islamic justice.

Foreign policies guided by ethos sensitive to Islam in the wake of Washington's chastising campaign of "war on terror" had structured those interventions, inconsiderately overlooking what is best interest for Somalia. Islamophobia exacerbated by the radical religious insurgents seems to have contaminated those interventions to become feckless or destructive rather than being constructive. Lamentably, severe moral and social fragmentation within the Somalis inherited from years of oppressive regime and the ensued brutal civil war coupled with raucous primitive clan rivalry have also contributed to the failure of these interventions.

US Policy on Somalia

Under the Bush administration, the US policies on Somalia were contradictive that oscillated between superficial support and deplorable interventions. Underestimating the negative consequences of its military gambits, Washington's priority was to quell nascent religious militants rather than empowering the internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG). According to Xoga news website, US government has steadfastly supported disreputable warlords who have perpetrated heinous crimes against humanity and sabotaged the TFG. When that plan has failed with ignoble political embarrassment and the defeat of the warlords in the hands of the Union Islamic Courts (UIC), alleging to preserve the TFG and thwart religious forces from taking over the country, the White House has legitimized Ethiopia's occupation of Somalia.

Ethiopia's actions have aggravated the crisis in Somalia as mayhem intensified, thousands of civilians were killed, thousands displaced, and abysmal political fissure has crippled the TFG executives. Though the Islamists had initially suffered a serious loss against the Ethiopian forces, they have maintained indomitable resistance that forced Ethiopian troops to flee. Then Washington has realized that its military strategy is untenable, religiosity is indispensable in Somalia interventions, and eradication of the religious resistance from the periphery is unrealistic. This reality has forced the US government to change its tactics and wage its war against the Islamists within at the expenses of the TFG, as reported by online news site www.xogta.com.

Why the Transitional Union Government (TUG)?

A number of arguments try to elucidate the puzzling question of why the TFG (secular and ally of Ethiopia) is demoted in favour of the TUG (dominated by ex-jihadists of UIC). The strongest argument is that the TUG represents US and Ethiopian proxy war on jihadists, a cost effective approach to fight within. Sheikh Sharif, ex-jihadist from one of the major tribes in the southern regions is seen as a potential candidate for the headship of this new campaign to dismantle the religious resistance that controls most of southern and central Somalia. Whatever the case might be, it is very unlikely that the TUG fortified by an African peace keeping force will be able to contain the burgeoning religious militants. It is equally unrealistic that any externally imposed intervention (military or non military) without authentic engagement of the Somalis will result any peace in Somalia.

This new UN led scheme signifies the making of a new conflict of its kind between President Sharif's purported moderate Islamists supported by Western countries against the radical groups who probably will draw support from the local masses who are tired of Western double standards and their boneless interventions. Recently, a group of local religious scholars led by Sheikh Nur Barud Head of Islamic Scholars, who met in Mogadishu, have issued recommendations demanding the immediate departure of all foreign troops and unconditional cessation of hostilities and bloodshed. Both the TUG and insurgents have welcomed the recommendations but the President rescinded the removal of the foreign troops as soon as he traveled abroad and solicited for more troops, according to Ministry of Foreign affairs spokesman, Mohammed Hossein.

Before Ethiopian forces had made off, heavily armed tribal forces labeled with the religious title, Ahl-Sunnah Wal-Jama'ah (meant here the Sufi denomination) were created in a bid to expel Al-Shabab (the most powerful religious group) from central Somalia. Heavy skirmishes have left unknown number of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of civilians. The Sufi group in Somalia like the Buddha sect is known to be a peaceful, non-political, non-militant spiritual group who strongly opposes bloodshed even in self defense let alone for political gains. What is searing is a wide scale new civil war in the name of religion.


(Published: 11.11.2009.)