Short Country Profile
Full Country Name: Somali Democratic Republic
Area: 637,657sq km
Population: 9.36 million (2010 UN estimate)
Capital City: Mogadishu
People: Somali (85%), Bantu, Arabs
Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Religion: Sunni Muslim
Currency: Somali shilling. Although there is no central bank, various currencies are used. The self declared Republic of Somaliland has its own currency, the Somaliland shilling.
Government: The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was formed in July 2005. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was appointed President of the TFG in January 2009. Regional governments exist in Somaliland and Puntland.
A short history
Somalia is a country that has experienced excessive amounts of political instability during the past decade. Somalia, like most other countries in Africa, was colonized by European nations during the late 1800s. In 1887, Britain became concerned with keeping the route to India open through the Suez Canal, which was opened in 1869 and as a result Britain proclaimed Somalia as a British protectorate and named it British Somaliland.
In the beginning of the 20th century British control of British Somaliland was challenged by native uprisings. In 1910 the British abandoned the interior of Somaliland and withdrew to the coastal regions. Italy seized the opportunity to extend its control inland and took over many of the regions that the British had abandoned.
In the aftermath of W.W.II, Italy was forced to relinquish its possessions in Africa and control of Somalia was given to the United Nations and for 10 years it was a UN trust territory under Italian administration until July 1, 1960 when Somalia was granted independence and it merged with the former British protectorate of Somaliland.
Somalia's transformation into an independent state was peaceful in the beginning but is soon erupted into a violent conflict. In 1969 Abdi Rashid Ali Shirmarke, Somalia's second President, was assassinated and in the following days a military coup, led by Major General Muhammed Siyad Barre, gained control of the country. In 1970 Barre declared Somalia to be a socialist state.
Armed domestic opposition to Siyad Barre arose in 1988 in the Northern part of the country. The Somali National Movement (SNM), the United Somali Congress (USC), and the Ogadeni Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM) joined forces to fight against Siyad Barre's government.
In 1990 as Barre began to lose control of the country, the local political and business figures came together to sign the Mogadishu Manifesto, calling for Barre's resignation.
Ethnic problems
Prior to the civil war that occurred in Somalia in 1991, the country appeared to be one of the most homogeneous countries in Africa. The majority of people in Somalia are ethnic Somalis who speak dialects of the same language and practice the same religion. However, a multitude of ethnic and cultural divisions exists within the country. The practice of Islam varies nationwide, and has over the years, been influenced by different aspects of Arab culture.
Somalia has a significant number of ethnic and economic minority groups. People of Bantu descent tend to live in farming villages and in the southern part of the country. Individuals of Arab descent and other non-African immigrants tend to reside in the coastal cities, such as Mogadishu.
Among Somalis, a primary division exists between the Samaale and the Sab.
- The Samaale are the majority of the Somali people and consist of four main clan families the Dir, Isaaq, Hawiye, and Daaroodeach which is further divided into sub-clans. The Samaale are primarily of nomadic origin and live throughout Somalia and in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti.
- The Sab consist of two clan families, the Digil and Raxanweyn, located primarily in southern Somalia, where they combine farming and herding and are more likely than the Samaale to be sedentary.
Current status
Somalia has not had a central government since President Siad Barre fled in 1991, leaving the country at the mercy of its numerous warring factions and where clan or Islamic Shari'ah law rule.
Owing to continuing unrest in the south, a central government is unlikely to evolve soon.
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A decentralized central federation of regional political entities has emerged (see map), including the self-proclaimed but unrecognized Republic of Somaliland in the northwest, the self-proclaimed Puntland State in the northeast, Jubaland in the south near Kismayo, and a future Banadir regional administration around Mogadishu when warlords Hussein Aideed (son of late General Farah Aideed) and Ali Mahdi settle their differences.
The lack of a centralized state has been a boon for Somaliland and Puntland, as the absence of the corruption and repression that characterized the previous government has facilitated local economic activity.
The presence of few regulations, nominal taxation, and negligible price controls has encouraged the establishment of many new businesses; but the stability in these areas is indeed less, and entrepreneurs remain vulnerable to theft and violence. This risk is much greater in the unstable southern and central portions of the country, in which domination by clan militias, banditry, and looting make the free movement of people, goods, and services nearly impossible.
Somalia as a sea piracy hub
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century. Since 2005, many international organizations, including the International Maritime Organization and the World, have expressed concern over the rise in acts of piracy.
Piracy has impeded the delivery of shipments and increased shipping expenses, costing an estimated £10 billion a year in global trade. According to the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), a veritable industry of profiteers has also risen around the piracy. Insurance companies, in particular, have profited from the pirate attacks, as insurance premiums have increased significantly.
A United Nations report and several news sources have suggested that piracy off the coast of Somalia is caused in part by illegal fishing. According to the DIW and the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, the dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters by foreign vessels has also severely constrained the ability of local fishermen to earn a living and forced many to turn to piracy instead. 70 percent of the local coastal communities "strongly support the piracy as a form of national defense of the country's territorial waters", and the pirates believe they are protecting their fishing grounds and exacting justice and compensation for the marine resources stolen.
International efforts to solve the Somalia issue
The World leaders, in recent London Conference on 23rd February, 2012, have pledged to boost support for measures to fight piracy, terrorism and political instability in Somalia.
At the start of the conference, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, leader of the transitional government, said Somalis wanted to shake off horrendous memories of the past, but feared the gathering might be just another diplomatic talking exercise.
Representatives from many Somali factions attended the London conference, but Al-Shabab was not invited as the militant group denounced the London conference as another attempt to colonize Somalia.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the world must keep Islamist militant group Al-Shabab on the run which controls large swathes of territory and they have recently joined with al-Qaeda. The USA has ruled out talks with Al-Shabab, saying that its decision to join forces with al-Qaeda showed that it was not on the side of peace, stability or the Somali people. However, the USA added that the international community was ready to engage with anyone willing to renounce violence and embrace the peace process.
The UK Prime Minister David Cameron, hosting the conference, said setting up an inclusive government was vital to the country's future, and that it must work alongside AU military action.
The conference agreed for more humanitarian aid, support for African Union peacekeepers and better international co-ordination. In a final communique, the 55 countries and organisations gathered in London said they would:
- Back the handover of power from the transitional government to an inclusive administration by August
- Provide more support for African Union peacekeepers
- Better co-ordinate humanitarian aid, shifting focus to long-term needs
- Crack down on piracy by expanding on agreements to bring suspects to trial in countries away from Somalia
India's role
India's stand on the Somali crisis is that the solution should be Somali-owned and supported by the Somali institutions. Any imposition of external solutions will not work in the long run.
Pirates now cover a geographical area of roughly 2.8 million square miles and safety and security of seafarers remains a matter of very serious concern. To address this issue, there is a need for effective international cooperation.
India also supports the strengthening of the national and regional capacity in the drafting of national anti-piracy legislation, and towards the investigation, prosecution and sentencing of suspected pirates.
The future outlook
For the first time in years, there is a real chance to make progress in Somalia. The Islamist militants were forced out of Mogadishu last year, and are under pressure from Kenyan, Ethiopian and Somali government troops elsewhere.
On 22nd February, 2012, one day prior to the London Conference, Ethiopian and Somali troops took control of the strategic stronghold of Baidoa, in the south-west of the country, from Al-Shabab.
Al Shabaab is militarily weakened and increasingly on the back foot, pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union forces. A fragile peace process is making progress. And there is growing international will to stamp out piracy.
The goals of the London Conference are wide-reaching, but also practical and implementable. World's nations are focusing on both the underlying causes of instability and its symptoms, such as famine, piracy and terrorism. Their hope is to reach agreement on: injecting new momentum into a political process that will create a more transparent and representative government that is better able to provide development and security for its people; strengthening the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia; building stability at the local level through humanitarian aid and economic development; and tackling the piracy and terrorism that threatens to destabilize the Horn of Africa.
Ultimately decisions on Somalia's future rest with the Somali people. The role of the international community is to facilitate Somalia's progress and development, with unity and coordinated support to Somalia.
The goals of International powers are ambitious, but realistic. They know these goals can't be achieved overnight and certainly not without international cooperation. It will be a remarkable progress when coordinated leadership takes firm steps in making a reality of their shared vision of a more stable Somalia.
