Editorial
Somalia: Defeating a culture of violence [Editorial]
By
Feb 23, 2009 - 1:30:09 PM

SUNDAY EDITORIAL | That the suicide bomber struck days after the Muslim scholars issued their declaration is a worrying sign that things are quickly spiralling out of control.

Somalia has seen all the worst forms of violence, including suicide bombings like the Feb. 22 attack that killed 11 African Union (AMISOM) peacekeepers in the capital Mogadishu. For the country's new president, Islamist moderate Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the main challenge will be to stop - or at least to lessen - the number of attacks against African peacekeepers who protect vital facilities like Mogadishu's international airport and the main seaport. Islamist hardliners justify such violent and disturbing attacks under the pretense of fighting against an enemy force from outside Somalia. Certainly, the Ugandan and Burundian soldiers are not Somalis, but they are also not Ethiopian soldiers, who are rightly seen by most Somalis as historical enemies.

A recent declaration issued by Islamic clerics in Mogadishu, including religious personalities who are well-known in Somali society, called on AMISOM peacekeepers to withdraw within 120 days. But that demand had a condition attached: Islamist rebels must stop attacks against the African peacekeepers to allow them time to leave. Notwithstanding international political implications, it is quite clear that the learned scholars want to create an environment that is conducive to open dialogue in order to find a peaceful and permanent solution to the 18-year Somali crisis.

That the suicide bomber struck days after the Muslim scholars issued their declaration is a worrying sign that things are quickly spiralling out of control. There was a time all of Somalia's Islamist factions fought under a single banner, uniting moderates and hardliners, that sought to evict Ethiopian troops from Somali soil and establish an Islamic state. But the Ethiopian invasion, and the subsequent two-year insurgency that killed upwards of 16,000 people, destroyed the intricate relationship among the Islamists and stirred deep divisions among them.

Certainly, President Sheikh Sharif's UN-backed 'unity government' faces many challenges ahead. The main challenge is security, especially in Mogadishu, where the government plans to work. The security problem is exasperated by the presense of AMISOM peacekeepers; the more support the new government needs from AMISOM, the stronger the armed opposition gets. It is a lose-lose situation.

As such, Sheikh Sharif's presidency will depend his government's relationship with the foreign troops. While Somalis do not necessarily hate the African peacekeepers, AMISOM is widely seen as a residual force that stayed behind after much-hated Ethiopian troops withdrew. For Islamist hardliners, the justification for more war is, and will always be, the presence of foreign troops.

For Sheikh Sharif, the difficult choice will be between making peace with Islamist hardliners or relying on the military support of African peacekeepers.

Garowe Online Editorial, editorial@garoweonline.com