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UN wedge politics in Somalia hampers

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Ahmed Raghe
Tuesday, June 16, 2009


US Abraham tanks in Mog. 24 Jan.94

A side- glance on the prolonged Somali conflict indicates that at least 15 attempts, mostly UN brokered, to install a central government were made during the course of the turmoil. All were aborted and fizzled in midair, not producing the desired fruits! 

 

Why do UN initiatives in Somalia always undermined, wasting massive amounts of donor funds, multitude of lives and causing further destruction to poor country?  Why UN officials are involved in the internal conflicts of Somalia and risk their neutrality? Is the UN devoid of principled and competent talent to serve the world?  These are the kind of questions Somalis ask about the credibility of the United Nations.

 

Of course these are legitimate questions in light of the UN poor performance in the country. I remember how the Mogadishu people celebrated when the US Marines landed in the Somali capital, to launch (Operation Restore Hope) in a December midnight 1992.

 

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The residents hit the streets in the middle of the night chanting "free at last." There was a sense of optimism, naïve complacency- anticipation that the ordeal will come to an end once Uncle Sam has stepped in! Mogadishu was turned into a military beehive even before dawn, Abraham tanks, all kinds of armored personnel carriers deployed on major city junctions, while helicopter gunships hovered in the sky like angry tropical clouds.

 

Stunned by this overwhelming military might, warlords and armed thugs prepared themselves for what seemed inevitable on that day (mid Dec. 1992)- to surrender their arsenal to the American Marines!  That was a possibility, but not realized sadly.

 

But almost on the same day, it was revealed that the mission was not American, but rather a concerted UN effort called UNOSOM.  Not purely American, nor purely UN.  It was a confusing combination of both powers with confusing overlapping functions, duplications and clashes. This fact proved to be a warlord paradise, not to surrender weapons! They already new how the UN system worked, that there was something rotten in it. 

 

SO started UNOSOM II (United Nations Operation in Somalia): March 1993 - March 1995,  which was the first United Nations major intervention in the country, participated by 30 countries. The mission cost as follows according to UN records:

 Expenditure: $1,643,485,500 net

Strength: 30,800 foreign troops from 30 countries

Fatalities: 147 military personnel

Three international civilian staff

One local staff (Somali)

No mention to the high local civilian casualty (estimated into the thousands)

This huge commitment by the UN saved the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, from starvation. Thanks to the world community and the Bush sr. government that spearheaded the historic and brave humanitarian effort to deliver our country. It was in fact, the only tangible victory the United Nations/US have ever scored in anarchic Somalia.

However, the role of the United Nations as a respected neutral world organ, was reversed when it was painfully sucked into the murky waters of Somali conflict. Admiral Jonathan Howe, the UN special envoy to Somalia, was at loggerheads with Gen. Aidid, the chairman of the powerful Somali National Alliance (SNA).

A minor rift developed into a full confrontation and costly misunderstandings which led to the debacle of a gigantic and ambitious world mission. The whole project seemed to hinge on the discretion of Admiral Howe, who was apparently getting, parallel conflicting orders from the UN headquarters in New York and the White House at the same time!

Due to the inconsistency of the instructions, the UN envoy acted erratically and jeopardized the whole mission. His mandate was so obscured that the UNOSOM troops did not exactly know what to do- to disarm or to deliver humanitarian supplies and was so obsessed to punish rebellious Aidid rather than use diplomacy.

Therefore UNOSOM II was doomed and the suffering population left to the mercy of the warlords in 1995. The poor masses had to bear the brunt of the misguided policies of Jonathan T. Howe and the whips of power hungry Gen. Aidid! This history should serve  as a lesson for any future UN missions anywhere.

 The present UN envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Oulad Abdalla, a seasoned diplomat who is, of course, well aware of the intricacy of the problem, should refrain from being mired in the power feuds of Somali groups. Neutrality and objectivity are critical for his success The disruptive wedge politics to divide and manipulate the former ARS leadership (moderates vs extremists) has created more problems than solutions. 

 Despite all these concessions made to the Djibouti wing, the country is still in blames, we have more factions than ever, a humanitarian disaster of the worst proportions and there is the possibility the United Nations once again embroiled in the local controversy.

Since all options to bring the hardline groups in Asmara to the negotiation table are not  exhausted yet, no meaningful dialogue conducted with them;  no clear cut concessions revealed; the envoy should move quickly in these areas and  restore diplomacy.  Demonizing Aweys and the Shabab does little to reconcile Somalia. 

Apparently, to inject new blood into the Somali reconciliation, the style, language, methodology and venues can be changed to accommodate the opposition groups. A power sharing plan should be devised to get the angry Islamists on board before they are labeled anti-peace forces! All these Islamists are power hungry thugs after all, whether you call them moderate or extremist!

For instance, Somalia has seen enough of Addis and Nairobi with their vested interests in mind. Djibouti may have the good will, but lacks the gravity. Why not try some other acceptable place in the world, so that the reconciliation process does not go to the same drawing board, with the same hands and with the same inconclusive results?

Ahmed Raghe
[email protected]

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