Cycle of terror

On October 14, terrorists targeted Somalia once again. A massive explosion at the gate of a hotel killed over 250 people in Mogadishu. Somalia has been a target of terrorism for over two decades now. Lately, Al-Shabaab, an extremist outfit that has strong links with Al-Qaeda, has been quite active.

Somalia – which is also called As-Somali in Arabic – is situated on the eastern coast of Africa and is a federal republic. It shares borders with Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya and has a population of around 15 million. Around 85 percent of the population belongs to the Somali ethnic group. A few ethnic minorities live in the southern parts of Somalia. Most of the people in Somalia follow Sunni Islam.

During the last decades of the 19th century, the European colonial powers –Italy and Great Britain – had occupied Somalia and divided it into the British and Italian Somaliland.

At that time, Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, a leader of Somalian resistance, led indigenous fighters to claim independence. But the resistance fizzled out in 1920. After 20 years of relentless struggle, Abdullah Hassan had been defeated, the Al-Draiwesh kingdom of Somalia collapsed and a divided colonial rule continued till 1960. With the announcement of independence in 1960, the British and Italian parts united to form the Somali Republic and a civilian government took over. Within a decade, the Somali Army, led by Maj-Gen Siad Barre, toppled the civilian government and established a military dictatorship.

Gen Barre ruled for 22 years with an iron hand in the name of scientific socialism and forced the people to work ‘voluntarily’. The Somali people ‘voluntarily’ built roads, buildings, hospitals and educational institutions. Doctors and teachers also worked ‘voluntarily’ and banks, industries and businesses worked on the same principle since they all had been taken into state control in the name of nationalisation. Cooperative forms deprived the farmers of their land and this continued till 1991 when Gen Barre was toppled. Since then, Somalia has been a victim of a civil war.

Now, the world considers Somalia to be a failed state. A general observation is that if Somalia had been allowed to function under a civilian government after independence and the army had not taken over, the country would have run smoothly on a democratic path. Somalia became a failed state because the army did not support the civilian government and instead decided to run the affairs of the state rather than defend its borders. During the past 25 years, there have been repeated attempts to form transitional governments. But none of these arrangements have been effective.

The military junta had used tribal and factional politics to weaken the social fabric so that it could continue its rule. The result was a plethora of militias fighting for political control. When the military dictatorship ended in the early 1990s, Ethiopia and Libya started supporting various factions. In May 1991, the northern part the former British Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia and named itself Somaliland. The north has been an almost independent country since this development. However, the world powers have not recognised it as one.

The southern part faced many more problems because of the factional fighting between the groups of Gen Farrah Aidid and Ali Mahdi Muhammad in the 1990s. Gen Farah was a former military commander who played an important role in toppling the dictatorship of Gen Barre. However, he later turned against the UN forces that had been sent to restore peace. In 1995, the UN forces had to withdraw in the face of repeated attacks. Gen Farah Aidid tried to establish himself as the leader of Somalia. He was killed in an attack in 1996.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have left their country and become refugees in other countries. Most of these migrants belong to the Bantu tribes who live in the south. A major result of this civil war is the dramatic rise in sea piracy. Pirates have become active in the waters bordering Somalia and have been targeting international sea trade in that region by kidnapping people for ransom and looting ships. During the past decade or so, a new organisation has emerged: the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

Taking advantage of the failure of the state, it has set up Islamic courts to dispense quick verdicts in local cases. It was akin to a parallel justice system that we have seen even in some parts of Pakistan. The head of the ICU was Sharif Shaikh Ahmed, who, after establishing the ICU, was also recognised as the president of Somalia from 2009 to 2012. Then a new menace appeared on the scene: Al-Shabaab, a movement of young crusaders. In 2012, it declared allegiance to Al-Qaeda and boasted a strong force of between 8,000 and 10,000 warriors.

All efforts by world powers to stabilise the country have been futile. The 50-year history of Somalia is an ideal example of a newly independent country where the civilian government has not been allowed to function. In such situations, the social fabric begins to fray and the country becomes either a failed or a fragile state. In the 1960s, Somalia was emerging as an independent country with a civilian government. After some initial hiccups, it could embark on a democratic journey. But all such efforts were hampered.

A long period of dictatorship has not only shattered democratic dreams but has also made the army officers fond of power that is unhindered by the civilians. Since then, most army officers have sided with one group or another and tried to gain as much control as possible. Of course, in this struggle, religious outfits are a good source to rely on.

The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK and works in Islamabad.

Email: Mnazir1964@yahoo.co.uk