Somalia's security forces hamstrung by corruption, infiltrators
By Richard Lough and Abdi Sheikh
MOGADISHU | Fri May 3, 2013 2:26pm EDT
(Reuters) - Somalia's security forces need rebuilding to cement gains made
by foreign troops against Islamist militants, but how to pay and arm
recruits, tackle corruption and prevent rebels infiltrating their ranks
remain hurdles for the cash-strapped government.
Proving the dire state of the Somali forces, when Islamist gunmen attacked a
court in Mogadishu in April, police said they couldn't tell who was friend
or foe, while members of the force say a $100-a-month salary is not enough
to inspire loyalty.
"Shoe shiners have a better life," said a junior police officer, who only
gave his name as Hussein. "They are not targets and they get a better
income."
Emerging from two decades of anarchy, security gains in the past two years
have been made largely thanks to African peacekeepers spearheading the fight
against al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels.
Western powers, long worried Somalia is a launch pad for militant Islam in
east Africa and beyond, fear the nation could slide back into chaos if local
forces cannot cement gains.
How to overhaul its security forces will top the agenda at a May 7
conference in London, where Britain and Somalia will seek more international
support at a time al Shabaab are weakened and piracy off the Horn of Africa
is at an all-time low.
A threat by Ethiopian troops to withdraw from Somalia has raised questions
over how the stretched African Union peacekeeping force, known as AMISOM,
would be able to plug the gap and highlighted the need for Somalia to build
its own capacities.
"Somali armed forces need building up, their police need expanding,"
Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague told Reuters when he re-opened
Britain's embassy in Mogadishu.
"There are many huge challenges and dangers that remain and the world
mustn't think that we have solved all the problems or that its help isn't
needed," he said. Washington and Brussels already help pay African troops
and Somalia's forces.
Hague said Britain's permanent diplomatic presence signaled London's
confidence, although the makeshift embassy's four metal cabins lie behind
two blast walls within the fortified airport.
Elected in September, Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said
security was "priority number one, two and three".
PEACEKEEPERS
It is clear why. Mohamud's government depends on the 18,000 or so African
troops to survive, and the poorly armed, poorly paid and ill-disciplined
military is in no position to take over.
When Ethiopia grumbled AMISOM was not doing enough to take over places its
troops had secured and withdrew in a huff from Hudur, near Ethiopia's
border, al Shabaab retook the dusty town.
That signaled how swiftly al Shabaab, now largely confined to rural areas,
could regroup if any vacuum is left. Diplomats do not expect Ethiopia to
leave the African troops stranded.
"It is not in Addis Ababa or anyone's interest to see al Shabaab move back
in. Ethiopia clearly understands that," a senior Western diplomat said. "But
now we have to tie up what AMISOM is doing and what the Somali National Army
is doing."
More a collection of rival militias than a cohesive fighting force, the army
lacks sophisticated command structures and has been dogged by soldiers
selling off their guns and uniforms.
Frequently that gear ends up in Mogadishu's markets, or in the hands of al
Shabaab. More worrying, security officials say, is the number of militants
infiltrating the armed forces.
In the April attack on the capital's law courts, the attackers were
disguised in official military fatigues.
During the chaotic gun battle, a Reuters photographer saw one group of
soldiers point their guns at another group, also in uniform. "Hey stop, who
are you? Go back!" They too raised their rifles and replied "We are security
forces, and who are you?"
"EAT YOUR BULLETS"
Mistrust is not limited to those in Somalia's forces. Somalia's allies are
also wary. The United Nations has partially lifted an arms embargo, allowing
in light weapons to help Somali forces, but has maintained a ban on heavy
arms.
"They have to visibly demonstrate they can control what they buy and receive
before we go further," said a Western official.
President Mohamud and foreign powers say security sector reform must extend
beyond the military to the police force which officially numbers around
6,000, nearly all of whom are in Mogadishu - reflecting the government's
limited reach.
Plans to add 4,000 more would still leave the national force less than a
third the size of New York city's police department.
A government-approved strategic plan for the police force acknowledged some
officers have never received any training while others learned their trade
as militia loyal to warlords.
One diplomat said foreign assistance to the police force amounted to "life
support". More generosity may be required to make it a more professional
security operation.
"If only we could get $500 a month, al Shabaab would be extinct," said a
second officer who identified himself as Omar. "We would stand in the
alleyways day and night and pick them off like ripe bananas."
(Additional reporting by Feisal Omar; Editing by Edmund Blair and Sonya
Hepinstall)
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Kenyan leader, charged by ICC, invited to Somalia meeting in London
By Edmund Blair
NAIROBI | Fri May 3, 2013 9:48am EDT
(Reuters) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces charges of crimes
against humanity at the International Criminal Court, is expected to visit
London at Britain's invitation next week for a conference on Somalia.
It will be his first trip to a Western capital since his election in March.
Britain and other countries said before his victory that, if he won, they
would only have "essential contacts" with him because of the court case.
"Kenya is a vital partner on Somalia and we judge our contact according to
the issue concerned," a spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said.
Kenya was playing a crucial role in stabilizing neighboring Somalia and
housing refugees, he added.
A source close to the Kenyan presidency and a diplomat both said Kenyatta
was likely to travel to the meeting, which aims to build international
support for Somalia, where Kenyan troops have battled Islamist militants.
The move reflected the West's desire to keep Kenya as a stable ally at the
expense of other principles, Kenyan rights activist GeorgeMorara said.
"It is a U-turn in the UK and the Western world's approach to the whole
issue of impunity," Morara said.
The March election passed off peacefully, a relief to many Kenyans after
ethnic violence erupted following the vote five years ago. The charges
against Kenyatta's in The Hague relate to allegations he had a role in
orchestrating bloodshed last time.
Western states view Kenya as an ally in their battle against Islamist
militancy in the region and it has sent about 5,000 troops to Somalia as
part of an African force that has driven back al Shabaab Islamist fighters.
The British spokesman said the decision to invite Kenyatta was taken in part
because the president had committed to cooperating with the court in The
Hague.
Britain's high commissioner (ambassador) to Kenya, Christian Turner, whose
remarks about essential contacts had angered Kenyatta's backers in the
former British colony, offered the invitation during a meeting with him on
Wednesday.
After the election result, Western diplomats had privately indicated that
they would take a pragmatic or "flexible" approach in assessing the level of
contacts with Kenyatta, 51.
As well as concerns about alienating an ally, Western powers are wary of
jeopardizing trade ties with east Africa's biggest economy and worry the
diplomatic wrangle could open the way for
<
http://www.reuters.com/places/china> China and other Asian states to extend
their influence.
(Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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Received on Fri May 03 2013 - 20:46:07 EDT
