Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sub-topics
Introduction Country Information Brief History & Current political situation Internal conflict Future perspective Conclusion
Introduction
Somalia has been without effective central authority for more than 20 years. Often seen simply as a home to pirates, starving people and insurgents linked to al-
"dodgiest passports", "worst humanitarian crisis", "most corrupt government" and "most dangerous capital city".
It has come top of the Failed States Index for the past four years.
Country Information
Full Country Name: Somali Democratic Republic Area: 637,657sq km Population: 9.36 million (2010 UN estimate) Capital City: Mogadishu
Country Information
Government:
-The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was formed in July 2005. -Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was appointed President of the TFG in January 2009.
International Organizations:
-There has been no effective government since 1991. -The TFG and its predecessor, the Transitional National Government (TNG) have represented Somalia in the UN, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the InterGovernmental Authority for Development and the Community of Sahal-Saharan States
Brief History
Colonized by both Britain and Italy. Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with
In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule managed to impose a degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades.
After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting,
and anarchy.
Politics
Since 1991 over a dozen externally sponsored peace and reconciliation
On 19 January 2007,
- The African Unions Peace and Security Council created AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia)
AMISOM is mandated by a Chapter VII UN Security Council Resolution to maintain
In 2007 the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), an organization comprised
Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) was reached on 9 June 2008 and signed on 19 August in Djibouti.
It called for the cessation of armed confrontation, Ethiopian withdrawal, an
On 28 December 2008, following disagreements with the Prime Minister over the Djibouti Peace Process, President Yusuf resigned.
The transitional parliament elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as the President on 31
January 2009, who subsequently appointed Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as Prime Minister.
There has been ongoing antigovernment fighting in Mogadishu and violence and
Somalia declared a state of emergency, following a period of intense fighting in and around the capital, Mogadishu.
a new cabinet.
A Roadmap to End the Transition was agreed at a consultative meeting which took
2012.
Puntland on 21-23 December 2011, convened by the Transitional Federal Government and hosted by President Farole of Puntland, it was facilitated by the UN and brought together the various roadmap signatories.
The second Somali National Consultative Constitutional meeting (Garowe II) took
place on the 17 February 2012. The Garowe II principles provide a step forward in the constitutional process and towards ending the transition in August 2012.
Internal Conflict
Nation severely endured intra state conflicts, civil wars, and years under the dominion of brutal dictators. Where people have been suffering for decades.
Many people including journalists, scholars, educators and ordinary people argue that: the real cause of the Somali conflict is the segmentation of the Somali people into
hostile clans who have been at war with each other throughout their history.
This could actually be said to be one of the causes, but to conclude that its the only
Internal Conflict
What are the root causes of the Somali conflict ?
As a matter of fact, it's true that one would call the Somali conflict as an "ideological
Conflict" meaning a conflict which occurs between the state and insurgent movements, social in equality is the theme".
It's also true that it is an identity-related conflict, because of the clan diversity among
the Somali people, where every clan is struggling to get control of the state and dominate the other contesting clans.
Another episode of the Somali conflict includes a series of interventions, namely, -colonial occupations and the -Cold-wars geopolitical impact.
February 2012
attended by fifty-five delegations from Somalia and the international community.
The conference communiqu reached agreements in seven key-areas - Security, piracy, terrorism, humanitarian assistance, -local stability, a reinvigorated political process and -on international coordination. The UN security council has voted to increase an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia to nearly 18,000 troops in a bid to defeat extremist rebels and help stabilize the country after more than two decades of chaos.
Will four and a half hours of talks at Lancaster House on Thursday make a difference? Is it not just an expensive waste of time especially when all previous efforts have failed, including nearly 20 international conferences and half a dozen military interventions to bring together nearly 60 world leaders and just eight Somalis? Are skepticism about the meeting by Somalis and even hostility from some Somalis, who see it either as a neo-colonial enterprise or an irrelevant talking shop relevant ? Is there hope ?
3. 4.
5.
Conclusion
Somalia can be reborn as a country of progress and prosperity For all the difficulties it has faced, Somalia has the resilience, talent and natural
resources to shape a better future. HOWEVER: The decisions on the future of Somalia remains in the hands of the Somali people. The Somali political leadership must be accountable to the people and devote themselves toward collective efforts in building new Somalia with enduring Peace and Prosperity..
Sources
UK GURDIAN NEWSPAPER
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/povertymatters/2012/feb/23/help-somalia-somalis-themselves
WORLD FACT BOOK : https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/so.html
Country fast facts: http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-502203_162-
3357673.html
Wikipedia Somalia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia
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