Strategy Page
Monday, February 06, 2012
The famine in Somalia is
officially over, as a large harvest matures and food is plentiful. But
only for a few months, and over a million people are still in refugee
camps inside Somalia as well as Ethiopia and Kenya. These people need
foreign food aid to survive, as do many more who live
harvest-to-harvest.
In the last eight months, over 100,000 famine
refugees had fled to Kenya and Ethiopia. Many refuse to return to
Somalia because of the continued fighting between al Shabaab and various
opponents. These include Somali troops and militias as well as AU
(African Union) peacekeepers and Ethiopian soldiers.
February 5, 2012: Al Shabaab attacked the town of Beledweyn
in central Somalia. The key town was captured by Ethiopian troops two
months ago, and this night assault was expected. The al Shabaab forces
were repulsed.
Kenyan jets attacked several ground targets near the coastal town of Badhadhe. At least ten al Shabaab members were killed.
February 4, 2012: Kenya publicized its amnesty program for
Kenyan Somalis who have joined al Shabaab. Recent victories by Kenyan
troops over al Shabaab made Kenyan Somalis more likely to accept
amnesty, as happened during similar situations in the past.
February 3, 2012: In Mogadishu, a small American UAV,
apparently a 2 kg (4.4 pound) Raven crashed into a hit in a refugee
camp. A similar incident took place last year in Mogadishu. Four Ravens
were supplied to the AU peacekeepers and these UAVs operate up to ten
kilometers from the operator. The U.S. operates larger UAVs from Camp
Lemonnier in Djibouti and in Ethiopia. Camp Lemonnier has existed since
2003 and currently holds 3,500 personnel. The base has a lease that
lasts until 2020.
February 2, 2012: Kenyan troops captured the port town of
Badhadhe, which is near the Kenyan border and 180 kilometers south of
the al Shabaab held port of Kismayo. During the operation, Kenyan
helicopter gunships attacked a large group of al Shabaab (over 200 men
and at least 20 vehicles). Kenya claimed to have killed a hundred al
Shabaab and at least ten vehicles.
January 31, 2012: In the central Somali town of Galkayo, an
al Shabaab suicide bomber failed in his attempt to kill a pro-government
militia leader. The bomb went off, killing two security guards.
Al Shabaab declared the Red Crescent, along with the Red
Cross, were now banned from al Shabaab controlled territory. This puts
several million Somalis at risk of starvation. Al Shabaab accused the
aid agencies of bringing in food that was past its use-by date and that
the free food aid was lowering prices in markets thus hurting local
farmers.