Hiiraan Online

Their global syndicate of “Jihadists” and hardliner “Islamists” frequent these facilities as a port of entry and exit to this beautiful but unhappy country, thus inflaming the situation whenever there is a glimmer of hope for peace and stability.      

Ironically, the internationally recognised government that is supposed to control these facilities is unable to assert its authority for historical and other reasons, including, among others, lack of government presence and institutions in those regions; a loophole in the Somalia’s sea and airport arrangement that has evolved since the collapse of the central government in 1991.

Since the collapse of the state, and as the country has disintegrated into clan-based fiefdoms, the country’s air and seaports came under the control of either warlords, clan-based administration, regional states such as “Somaliland” and “Puntland,” and now by the spoilers of peace (nabad-diid), the so called “Al-Shabab” and “Xisbul-Islam”,  whose aim in life seems to be to ensuring the stoning of a 13 year old innocent girl to death, while letting her rapists unpunished, and also in desecrating the shrines of Somalia’s revered saints and holy men such as Sheikh Nur  Hussein in the deep South.   

Throughout the civil war years, in order to conduct their business, neighbouring states, UN organisations, NGOs, private companies and organised international criminal syndicates took the simplistic pragmatism of the situation by doing whatever they could to please those in control of sea and airport facilities. For example, neighbouring countries, whose companies need access to Somalia’s lucrative Qat market, took advantage of the lawlessness situation by allowing their airplanes to land on regional airstrips so that thousands of tons of Qat worth of hundreds of millions of dollars could be off-loaded in local ports.

Ethiopia and Eritrea were accused of using sea and airport facilities to ship arms and ammunition in order to execute their proxy wars in Somalia. Hired planes would off-load ammunition cargos at the Balli-Doogle airport, a military airbase during the collapsed central government. 

Thanks to Somalis’ entrepreneurial spirit and lack of stringent air and sea ports regulatory frameworks, Somalis have managed to create private airline companies. These companies offer flight tickets, and they have been a life-line to Somalis’ booming trade. They also play a role in helping in the delivery of crucial humanitarian aid to Somalia. This vibrant private airline industry needs to be nurtured and supported but under a regulatory framework, spearheaded by the unity government.  

It is very much commendable that stable regional states such as “Somaliland” and “Puntland” have in somehow managed to exercise some sort of authority over sea and airport facilities and have the capacity to run them in a centralised manner as this have reduced or eliminated the red-tape bureaucracy that existed during the collapsed central government in which to export a shipment of banana one would have required a permission by the president in Villa Somalia!

It is however unacceptable that rogue groups such as Al-Shabab and Xisbul Islam, spoilers of peace are allowed to use these infrastructures in order to cause havoc and destruction in their determination in bringing down a government that is seen by many as the best chance in restoring stability and order to the South. This is because income, arms and ammunition these groups receive through those ports would undermine the very government that the international community is trying to protect and support.

The culture of laissez-faire policy that has been adopted towards the affairs of the sea and air transport cannot go as it once used to be because things have changed and moved on. Thanks to the Djibouti reconciliation process, there is now a real prospect for peace and stability in Somalia provided the unity government takes off the ground and gradually asserts its authority over the country. And this could only happen if the armed opposition groups’ power is weakened through asserted sanctions and embargo measures, thus making them surrender to the government’s authority.

As a starting point, an appropriate action would be to scrutinise and monitor all flights that originate from IGAD states and are bound to areas controlled by the armed groups. It maybe a simplistic suggestion but by sharing information about these flights and only allowing in commercial flights with the government’s knowledge, TFG authorities should be able to take appropriate action to deal with any eventuality that comes with these flights, for example by exploring ways of arresting and detaining those who are threat to peace and reconciliation.

A point that cannot be ignored is the Kenyan governments’ failure to detect the departure of Hassan Dahir Aweys, a colonel-cum-Sheikh-cum-religious warlord (dagaal-ooge diineed) from a Kenyan airport destined to Somalia. It was because of this man’s inflammatory and seditious speeches that have fuelled the latest killings in Mogadishu and in central regions. Had the Kenyan government detained this man and his cohorts, some of the bloodshed could have been prevented.

There will be obstacles and challenges that could undermine the implementation of the air and sea port blockade. Rampant corruption in neighbouring countries, for instance Kenya, where one could buy an entire government department by few hundred thousands of dollars could jeopardise these efforts. It has been reported the cost of the recent trip by Hassan Dahir Aweys was about £25,000. One can only imagine how much of that money have ended up in the pockets of corrupt immigration officers in Wilson airport in Kenya. 

Also, it must be said that spoilers of peace will use slogans of “blockage and no flight zones hurts the people” as tool to try to win public support and sympathy but their arguments could be stifled and suppressed as long as there is a coordinated embargo action that allows legitimate commercial and humanitarian flights and shipments in. No one wants to see spoilers of peace showing photos of dying mal-nourished children which they will blame on a no fly zone operation, if that ever happens.

The main point from this article is that gradual emasculation of the armed opposition groups through continuous embargo would ensure that they finally come to the negotiation table with the government, or will be forced to disband, hence enhancing government’s authority.   

In conclusion, the days of laisser-faire culture with regard to Somalia’s sea and airport infrastructures should be brought to an end, and the international community in collaboration with government ministers should explore ways of ensuring that a united policy and regulatory framework to running Somalia’s air and sea space is developed and applied to across the country.