Somalia: Not just Piracy

For those who only know about Somalia in terms of either the book or film Black Hawk Down, or because of the recent coverage of piracy, please find below, from "Humanitarian Heads Up" by Reuters Alertnet, some further context and background on the Somalian crisis. There is a lot more to this than just the piracy. Piracy comes from more systemic problems within the country.

Again, no issue comes from within a vacuum. There are long term histories which the international community chooses to ignore until such time as a situation explodes.

Right now, what should be happening is serious attention being focused internationally on areas of impending crisis--so perhaps it can be averted--not just waiting until the crisis occurs and then trying to deal with the aftermath.

This situation in Somalia is an excellent opportunity for the international community to pay attention NOW, dive into the more systemic issues within the country, and keep it from exploding further. Already the situation is at a critical stage--and not just because of piracy.

From Humanitarian Heads Up from Reuters Alertnet:

Somalia - the story behind the piracy

Somali pirates are dominating stories about the Horn of Africa country, with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and ex-U.S. President Bill Clinton among others issuing strong statements condemning the attacks. Although the pirates are threatening key international shipping lanes, many hope they won't dominate an April 23 donor conference on Somalia.

The conference is pulling in the heavyweights: it's being co-chaired by Ban and Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission. Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League, will attend, as well as senior officials from the European Union and United States. The U.N. special envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah says it's the first time in years a U.N. secretary general has chaired a conference on Somalia, and he hopes the meeting will send a clear message that the international community is focused on fixing the country's problems once and for all.

And the problems are enormous. U.N. and AU peacekeepers have been unable to protect civilians or the fragile government from widespread fighting, and stop the spread of extremist Islamists who now control much of southern and central Somalia. The World Health Organisation has warned the country is on the verge of a major cholera outbreak, and the global recession means Somalis in Europe and North America may send home less money causing extra hardship for the many families who depend on these remittances to survive.

All this is set against the backdrop of the terrible human fall-out of years of war. More than 1.1 million people are displaced, much of the capital Mogadishu has been destroyed, and a combination of drought and conflict means much of the country is facing severe food shortages. An estimated 3.2 million Somalis need aid. But humanitarian agencies are finding it increasingly difficult to deliver aid: the number of attacks on aid workers has grown, and the worsening conflict makes it harder for them to reach vulnerable communities, says the Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

The latest attacks on aid workers include the kidnapping of a medical team from the charity MSF-Belgium. Gunmen have demanded a $1 million ransom for the three aid workers. Pirates have also attacked a number of ships carrying aid or which were en route to pick up aid.

Back with the government, and members of parliament voted unanimously on Apr. 18 to implement sharia law across the country in a move aimed at undermining the hardline Islamist rebels.

The latest humanitarian report, Somalia on verge of cholera outbreak as Gu rains start - U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Somalia. You can also contact OCHA Somalia: Rita Maingi on +254 734 800 120 or Muna Mohamed on + 254 733 643 737