– SOMALIA’S NEGLECTED WAR

 

Somalia is in chaos and civil war for about 2 decades. A large part of the country is ungoverned and ruled by local war lords and tribal leaders. From the mid 90s’ more and more faction of the Somali society joined the “Council of Islamic Courts”  (CIC) and agreed upon implementing together public order under Shariaa (Islamic law).

CIC took over 80% of Somalia in summer 2006 which raises fears that Muslim Somalia, functioning according to Shariaa, will be nothing but a safe haven to Global Jihad. The fear was based on the 08/07/1998 and the Mombasa Paradise attacks that were planned and prepared in ungoverned Somalia and the fugitives from those attacks found shelter in regions governed by the “Council of Islamic Courts” (CIC).

With the full encouragement and support of USA – Ethiopia, in 12/2006, invaded Somalia and in the short Ethiopian-Somali War took control over most of the Country. A Somali pro-Western regime, backed by Ethiopian troops and Somali troops manned by tribesmen from the North, attempted to restore a central regime and statehood institutions.

The situation in Somalia turned, very fast, to be similar to Afghanistan. The pro Western Government is ruling a part of the capital Mogadishu and about 20% of the country, with a backup of Christian troops from Ethiopia, mainly in the North. Tribes and Islamic fighters govern the rest of the country.

On 11/13/2007 the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR described the humanitarian crisis in Somalia “the worst in Africa”, even if compared to Darfur. (See – Triple disaster )

According to Somalia‘s Elman Human Rights report from 12/02/2007 5,960 civilians were killed in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, since the end of the Ethiopian-Somali war in 01/2007 and the presence of Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu. According to the report 7,980 people were wounded and more than 700,000 displaced from their homes as the interim US backed government has struggled to contain a bloody Islamic insurgency.

On 03/19/2008 The UN special envoy to Somalia has told the Security Council that the international community must send an interim multinational force to protect Somalis from human rights abuses. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, responded and said that troops should stay out for now for their own safety and to improve the chances of success of such a mission at a later time.

It is almost obvious that when Westerners are not involved and European or American interests are not at risk the Somalis, as in large parts of Africa, such as Darfur region in Sudan, does not deserve any protection from human rights abuses as if they were living in Gaza Strip or in Iraq, for example. The war in Somalia, as well as the large scale atrocities, is neglected by the so called “progressive countries”.

 

• 02/2009 -SQUARE  ONE IN SOMALIA 
  12/2007 -ABOUT 6,000 KILLED IN MOGADISHU 
  11/2007 -BLOODSHED, FAMIN, FLEEING AND ANARCHY IN MOGADISHU 

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• AL-JAZEERA