Hstoday
By Mohamed Ahmed
Tuesday July 5, 2022
The Somali government needs to invest in intelligence more than ever before. They need to be well-trained, well-equipped, well-funded, and removed from all political agendas.
Somalia has a newly elected government after its
long-delayed presidential election, ending the convoluted electoral process
that heightened tensions across the fragile East African nation for the past
couple of years. The electoral process was complicated by a set of delays, an
ongoing struggle between the central government and primarily two key member
states in the Somali Republic, and an ongoing struggle for power between the
president and his prime mister. Nevertheless, Somalia has finally held its
presidential election where Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (HSM) became Somalia’s
President for the second time. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has also
appointed lawmaker Hamza Abdi Barre as the country’s next Prime Minister. This
new leadership in Somalia will be determining the path the country will take on
several crucial policy issues including, but not limited to, foreign policy,
looming famine, economy, and the fight against al-Shabaab.
It is not a surprise that Somalia’s No. 1 challenge will
continue to be security. Somalia suffers from multiple broad categories of
security challenges, ranging from tensions between Somali authorities (federal
and regional states) and extremist terrorist organizations, notably al-Shabaab,
the Islamic State in Somalia, and more recently, paramilitary groups and
militias such as Ahlu Suna Waljamaaca.
Despite failures and setbacks Somalia has come a long way
and has made some incredible progress both in political and security sectors
since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991; however, the work is not
finished, Somalia still faces mounting challenges and threats from terrorist
groups, and these threats have become more complex, more intertwined, and more
deadly for Somalia. As the threats of al-Shabaab evolve, the government must
also evolve as well. In this article, I provide 10 policy recommendations for
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the newly elected Somali government to sustainably
combat the threat of al-Shabaab.
Recommendations:
- Somali Solutions for Somali Problems: Somalia for the past
couple of decades has relied on national security frameworks and security
architectures designed or influenced by international partners, and the result
has been disastrous and ineffective. The Somali people must come together to
take responsibility for their national security. The Somali government needs to
host a series of national conventions to design, develop, and inspire a
national security strategic plan developed, implemented, and sustained by
Somalia. This gives the government a sense of ownership, responsibility, and
accountability for its national security strategies and priorities.
- Empowering and investing in the National Intelligence and
Security Agency (NISA): One of the most important elements of a government’s
counterterrorism efforts is to gather intelligence regarding those who are
plotting and perpetrating terrorist acts against it. A nation’s intelligence
agencies are usually the first line of defense when it comes to the national
security threats both from domestic enemies and foreign enemies, and the
stronger a nation’s intelligence agencies are the more secure its citizens will
be. The Somali government needs to invest in NISA more than ever before. They
need to be well-trained, well-equipped, well-funded, and most importantly
removed from all political agendas and disputes so they can focus on protecting
the nation from its foreign and internal adversaries.
- Strengthening Interagency Coordination: The Somali
government needs to establish a national security interagency coordination
workgroup or committee within its security sector. The many security agencies
and their structures, planning processes, funding sources, and intelligence can
hinder interagency collaboration. We have seen al-Shabaab take advantage of
disorganized information-sharing and awareness between security departments in
Somalia. This interagency coordination working group should be sharing national
security information, intelligence, best practices, and resources for a better
and more effective counterterrorism strategy.
- Countering Financial Sources for al-Shabaab: The Somali government
needs to cut off the financial sources that al-Shabaab has been operating for
the past decade. They have built up an extensive racketeering operation, with
checkpoint taxation on illicitly traded charcoal, import and export taxation at
Somali ports, and large and small business taxation. These sources and much
more have brought tens of millions of dollars for the group to help their
recruitment and sustainability to carry out their operations. It’s the
government’s responsibility to cut off those financial sources to ensure
national security.
- Using Education as a Tool to Combat Extremism: The Somali
government must understand that what’s far more strategic than fighting
al-Shabaab on the battlefield is educating the young minds that are vulnerable
to recruitment by these extremist organizations. The focus should be on
combating the narrative and winning hearts and minds through education. Can you
imagine a nation that faces terrorism as its most significant threat while its
schools and universities do not provide education that is focused on national
security? The Somali ministry of education needs to prioritize the teaching and
embedding of a curriculum focused on combating extremism and help develop the
next generation of Somali national security leaders.
- Take Politics Out of The Security Sector: To effectively
reform the security sector in Somalia, the government needs to remove politics
and especially the destructive 4.5 clan system from its security sectors. The
security sector should rely on merits and competent leadership that has
experience and understanding of national security; they should not be recruited
based on clan representation. Additionally, the Somali armed forces should only
be utilized to secure the national security of the nation and not to intimidate
rivals, federal member states, or political figures, or be used for personal
reasons.
- Be Consistent in National Security Leadership: The Somali
government is notorious for constantly changing leadership in its security
sector especially after a new administration comes to power. There are
institutional consequences of having too much change. Consequences of change
saturation for the institution include higher turnover, a decline in
productivity, increased absenteeism, loss of focus on strategy, and negative
morale. Constantly changing security sector leadership believing it will
improve national security is misguided and disastrous. Those who are qualified
and experienced in national security should be kept serving in every administration
because their job should not be political but rather national security.
- Strong Vetting System for Security Sector and Parliament:
The Somali government needs to create an accurate system or process for vetting
and identifying al-Shabaab members and informants both within the security
sector and other branches of the government including parliament. For the past
decade, al-Shabaab has been strategic in placing individuals within these
institutional structures to carry out their missions and government infiltration.
- Developing Equitable and Sustainable Judicial System: When
governments embrace international human rights norms and standards, promote
good governance, uphold the rule of law, and eliminate corruption, they create
an enabling environment for civil society and reduce the appeal of violent
extremism. Al-Shabaab thrives on recruiting members of society who have been
denied justice and public resources or whose decency and rights have been
violated. The Somali government needs to develop a judicial system that is fair
and equitable to all its citizens in order to combat al-Shabaab. The Somali
people require a governance system in which all members of society,
institutions, and entities, public or private, are accountable to laws that are
publicly promulgated, equally enforced, independently adjudicated, and
consistent with international human rights norms and standards.
- Strategic Communications and Counternarratives: The
manipulative messages of al-Shabaab on social media have achieved considerable
success in luring Somali youth into their ranks. While violent extremists have
demonstrated some sophistication in their use of old and new media tools, it is
equally true that the government and civil society who reject their message
have largely failed to communicate and develop effective counternarratives to
the online recruitment of al-Shabaab. The Somali government needs to improve
its partnerships between civil society organizations and government agencies to
empower communities to develop a counternarrative to al-Shabaab narratives and
amplify the alternative message through all forms of media and Somali arts and
culture.
Mohamed Ahmed
Mohamed Ahmed, Ph.D. is the Chief Diversity Officer at Alliant International University and a Professor of Counterterrorism in The San Diego State University Homeland Security Graduate Program. Dr. Ahmed is also the Director of Strategic Initiatives & Community Programming at the American Counterterrorism Targeting and Resilience Institute (ACTRI). He received his bachelor’s in International Security and Conflict Resolution and Master’s in Postsecondary Educational Leadership from San Diego State University and his Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Old Dominion University. Past positions include Senior Community Engagement Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention, Research Fellow at the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE), and positions and consultancies with domestic and international organizations. Dr. Ahmed serves as an American Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs – International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), where he engages international audiences on topics that are of strategic importance to the United States including national security and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Ahmed’s research focuses on providing positive counter-narratives to polarizing terrorism recruitment and radicalization. Over the past decade, Dr. Ahmed has been a leading voice in business and civic circles, providing guidance to local, national, and international organizations on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, community engagement, civic engagement, and public safety. Dr. Ahmed serves on the City of San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, the San Diego District Attorneys Interfaith Advisory Board, One World Strong Foundation, and several boards and commissions. Dr. Ahmed has been recognized for his leadership through numerous honors and awards, including the National Diversity Council’s 2021 DEI Champion Award, the United States Attorney Local Hero Award, the City of San Diego Ashely L. Walker Social Justice Award, San Diego State University Zuma Community Service Award, the San Diego State University Iscorian of the Year, the Somali Youth United Leadership Award, Phi Beta Sigma Community Activist of the Year, Ocean Leaf Emerging Leaders Award, and the Community Housing Works VALOR Award.