Stable Somalia

It is worth noting that Somalis are a mostly homogenous population. Specifically, they share a common language, religion (mostly Sunni Muslim, minority Shi'i) and a common historical identity. The main source of internal contention has always been disputes between the four main clan-families; the Dir, Darod, Isaaq, and Hawiye clans.(Jennifer De MaioTITLE:Managing Civil Wars: An Evaluation of Conflict-prevention Strategies in Africa ) However at this point in history, the Somali people, longing to break out from imperial rule, unified briefly under the Salihiyah tariqa, an orthodox muslim brotherhood led by Mahammad Abdille Hasan. The so-called, Dervish rebellion targeted the British and Egyptian

Somalia has been torn by conflict for most of its 48 years of independence. The collapse of the state itself came in 1991 when President Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown. “Following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, various groupings of Somali factions sought to control the national territory and fought small wars with each other.” (Business World Complete p.5) My analysis is that without any formal, structured government, the Somalia people went to what they value, clans and kinship. Unfortunately, they were all vying to be the clan in control. The inter-clan fighting prevented people from planting and harvesting crops and caused the death of several hundred thousand Somali. Ultimately this constant fighting led to a total breakdown of public services. Remember that Somalia culture is based on traditions and their ideology of kinship. Coalitions among clan warlords led the central government to crumble and it’s these same clan rivalries that prohibit

Conflicts within the nation of Somalia were sometimes planned as a means to an end. Whereby the United States Government supported a certain regime before they used their power to gain control of the situation and overthrow the tyrant. In other cases the use of national power was used such as the Islamic Courts Union to gain control over Somalia by implementing logical line of operations by providing the people their needs and services to gain their trust. In these situations it would be considered as an irregular warfare environment, because they were violent struggles

Affirmation of Somaliland is crucial because the encouragement of African action should not become the basis for inaction on the part of the United States. Jendayi Frazer, in her report on “Somaliland: Time for African Union Leadership,” states that the United States would recognize Somaliland if the others acted first. But Somaliland deserves recognition from a purely U.S.-centric national security perspective. The United States has always stood to protect the values that it was founded upon. Somaliland, in its entirety fits this impression. The Somaliland government and population embody a moderate voice in the Muslim world that rejects radical interpretations of Islam, including that espoused by the Council of Somali Islamic Courts currently in control. It would serve as a bulwark against the further expansion of radical ideologies in the Horn of Africa by offering a brilliant case of how

The country of Somalia has undergone massive amounts of armed violence, yet not many people have attempted to stand up for them. The Basic Human Rights, if followed, could turn the downfall of this country overtime into a thriving community repairing itself. The country is so infested with anti-government militias. The country can't help itself but to cower in fear in hope for a

With a long history of violence, rebellion, and chaos, the African country of Somalia now seeks guidance. The country’s violent past started when military forces overthrew the last democratically elected government in October 1969, about 37 years ago. Military rule undermined, and ultimately destroyed the country. The military regime divided citizens into allies and enemies, and rewarded its allies while it punished whole communities. Life conditions in Somalia became so unbearable that the President Bush, Sr. was forced to act, and ordered thousands of American troops to enter Somalia in order to open the roads so that emergency food aid could be urgently delivered to the citizens.

2. Somalia has a fractured political past. There has been little stability in the country since it gained independence from Great Britain in 1960.1 However, in 2011, an internationally backed organization took over Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. Now called the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), they ratified a constitution and held the nation’s first ever presidential election in 2012.1 This new government has made strides in stabilizing Mogadishu, but much of the nation is still divided. Two major regions, Somaliland and Puntland, have their own independent governments and consider themselves self-autonomous.1 Also, the FGS isn’t flawless. A second

The US interest in Somalia is best summarized by the United States Africa command (USAFRICOM) mission. Listed on the USAFRICOM website, the mission cornerstones are to “Deter and Defeat Transnational Threats, Prevent Future Conflicts, Support Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, and Protect U.S. Security Interests.” Due to the lack of a national government, the country has been a hot bed of terrorism. The al-Shabaab militia group has been especially active in the region and has carried out attacks in the neighboring countries of Kenya and Ethiopia. Al-shabaab claimed responsibility for the bloody four-day siege at the upscale mall in Nairobi, which began on September 21, 2013 and left 67 people dead Kenyans and foreigners among them. The terrorism concern is not just Somalia and the neighboring countries concerns but rather a global issue. The group is linked to al-Qaeda which has been a big concern for the US. The Anti Defamation League on their article titled “Al-shabaab’s American Recruits” reports that at least 50 U.S. citizens and permanent residents are believed to have joined or attempted to join al-shabaab since 2007. The group actively and deliberately recruits young Americans to join the group. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is actively engaged and stated that the group is one of its highest priorities in terrorism. Times magazine on their article “Al-shabaab Leader killed in Drone Strike” illustrates the commitment of the US to fight the group. Adab Garar a key operative responsible for coordinating al-Shabab’s external operations, which target U.S. persons and other Western interests was killed in the strike. Additionally, the group is notorious for piracy along the Gulf of Aden. Piracy has disrupted maritime security in the region adversely affecting American interest in the region in terms of sea commerce. The U.S in addition to its antiterrorism efforts also provide humanitarian support to the

Since 1991the Civil War began, and during the 90s the United States and the United Nation made several efforts to bring peace to the region which failed. In 1998 the northern punt land region declares autonomy. In the 2000s in Somalia the unrest would continue; from several attempts to have a stable government and bring peace to the region. Ethiopian troops also made an effort to bring peace to the region, but eventually also gave up and left Somalia as well. The country also has problems with pirates, and the terrorist group Al-Shabab who has control over part of the country. It was not until 2012 when Somalis elected their first president and parliament but even then this new government its still dependent on outsiders to stabilized and offer

Somalia has been engaged in a civil war since 1991. The war has destroyed national governance structures leaving Somalia a patchwork of clan fiefdoms. In this chaotic environment, Non- governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Islamic organizations replaced the government in providing necessary services to the people of Somalia.

Somalia is a country that has become synonymous with war. The international community continues to spend billions yearly in the fight to stabilize the country even with the persistence of criminal activity and transnational threat groups. The fall of the Somalian Government in 1991 set the conditions for terrorists, pirates, and criminal gangs to use Somalia as a base of operations. (Reed, Thompson, Kfir, 2015) The increase donor spending is accredited to the recent success of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali Armed Forces (SAF) against Al Shabaab.

The United States has been challenging on deciding how deep it wants to engage in controversial global peacemaking conflicts and whether or not U.S. troops’ lives should be put in danger for the so-called peacekeeping affairs . Events in Somalia between 1992 and 1994 threw that argument into sharp relief.

Prior to January of 1991, Somalia was a relatively organized nation that was controlled by Mohamed Siad Barre. However, there was still small pockets of resistance. In 1991, Barre was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans that were known as the USC (United Somalia Congress). Shortly after the revolution, the Somalia Congress had split into two separate groups. One was led by Ali Mahdi and the other one was led by Mohamed Farrah Aidid. They waged wars against each other for political gains and they knew they both couldn’t be president of Somalia. The repercussions of the clan wars started to leak into the daily lives of the people that weren’t politicians or military personnel.

Somalia's transformation into an independent state was peaceful in the beginning but it soon erupted into a violent conflict. In 1969, Abdi Rashid Ali Shirmarke, Somalia's second President, was assassinated and in the following days a military coup, led by Major General Muhammed Siyad Barre, gained control of the country. In 1970, Barre declared Somalia to be a socialist

Chapter 1: History of colonialism and the failure of the Somali state: The African Continent has been the place that is known as a mystery for the Europeans. Despite of the fact Europeans knew little about the mainland, its people, traditions, conventions, but a considerable measure of them were profoundly inquisitive about the landmass, and most importantly its natural resources and raw materials. In the 19th century, European kingdoms began to give careful consideration to Africa and a great deal of researchers, explorers and travelers overflowed Africa. The African mainland was brimming with great sights, beautiful creatures, interesting scenes and indigenous individuals with their own way of life and this life, which was totally not the