The international community had hoped that Somalia would soon stabilize. But
the recent attack on a UN compound shows that the security situation is
still precarious and the terrorist militia al-Shabab is still active.
In early May this year, the United Nations passed a resolution to support
Somalia by sending in up to 200 experts to advise the government and local
authorities. The aim was to stabilize the security situation in the country.
At the time, security expert Ahmed Abdi Hassan, a former senior official
with the national security forces, expressed the hope that "the resolution
would help the Somali government to improve its security situation."
But the United Nations' additional forces could not prevent Wednesday's
(19.06.2013) suicide bombing at the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP) building in the Somali capital, Mogadishu that killed 15 people,
including four foreign nationals.
South African arms manufacturer Denel confirmed that two of its employees
were killed in the attack.
The recent attack on a UN compound has dampened the euphoria in Somalia
Via Twitter, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. In an
interview with the German Press Agency (dpa), the newly appointed UN Special
Envoy to Somalia, Nicholas Kay, condemned the attack as a "desperate attempt
to derail Somalia from its course towards reconstruction and peace."
Earlier, 34 people were killed on 14 April 2013, in a series of coordinated
suicide attacks. The UN Special Envoy for Somalia at the time, Augustine
Mahiga, warned then of further "terror attacks" by al-Shabab. The security
situation was also the main topic at the Somalia conference in London in
early May, a conference which was also overshadowed by an attack aimed at a
high level delegation from Qatar.
Spirit of optimism dampened
The attacks are part of the asymmetric form of warfare, with which the
Somali al-Qaeda splinter group al-Shabab (Arabic for "the boys") is trying
to discredit the new government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
After his victory over transitional President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed (widely
regarded as corrupt) in September 2012, the new president has addressed a
number of burning issues in the country. His priority list includes building
institutions based on the rule of law, establishing a powerful army and
police, fighting corruption and increasing public security. This has been
well received by his local partners.
A clear sympathy bonus for the engineer and later university dean is the
fact that he has no political background, unlike the usual representatives
of the Somali political class.
However, as a member of the influential Hawiye ethnic group, he knows how
clan leaders can be an indispensable instrument of power in a country
dominated by ethnic loyalties.
Mohamud's new prime minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid is also a close ally,
which raises hope that in this new government there will be no wrangling
between the president and prime minister.
Security was one of the major issues discussed at the London conference on
Somalia in May
The new government is regarded positively by Somalis in the diaspora. Many
Somalis who lived in the US, UK and neighboring Kenya are now returning
home. Some have given up well-paid jobs and a secure existence in order to
come back and help in the reconstruction of their home country or establish
business connections.
The few airlines that fly to Mogadishu are fully booked for weeks in
advance. The legendary beaches of Mogadishu, once dubbed the "Pearl of the
Indian Ocean" by Italians, are once again open for bathing. The shrill tones
of mobile phones, strictly prohibited by al-Shabab militias, can be heard
again.
But attacks like the one on the UN office are dampening the euphoria in the
country. Moreover, "the progress that one would wish to see, has failed to
materialize," says Markus Hoehne from the Max Planck Institute in Halle.
According to Hoehne, this is not surprising, especially when you look at the
difficult situation that Somalia has been going through. He sees merely
"baby steps towards a possible stabilization of Somalia." Annette Weber,
from the Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin and a
long-time observer of Somalia, agrees.
"The main dilemma of the Mogadishu government is the fact that it exists
only in Mogadishu and it has no influence in other areas of the country,"
Weber told DW. It is crucial, she says, that the central government should
extend its authority, mainly to southern Kismayu, the former stronghold of
al-Shabab.
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Received on Sat Jun 22 2013 - 16:55:57 EDT