Editorial
Targeting individuals who help Somalia's suffering masses
By
Jul 6, 2008 - 7:02:44 PM

SUNDAY EDITORIAL | Somalia's suffering masses become indirect victims when an aid worker is killed or kidnapped.

In a chaotic landscape that has lacked the basic tenets of law and order for nearly 18 years, murder and mayhem become normal daily activities for the bloodthirsty culprits who have known nothing but self-destruction. For Somalia's internationally-recognized interim government, one of the major challenges ahead is demobilizing tens of thousands of militiamen roaming freely, some working as the government's own security forces, but many engaged in criminal activities, including assassinations and armed robberies. The militias are the main reason Somalia has become a synonym for lawlessness and the display picture of a 'failed state.'

As an Iraq-style insurgency rages, criminal acts are increasing by the day. More worrisome, individuals who are valuable to society – including aid workers, human rights defenders and journalists – are being targeted and killed by a generation of young killers. In observing the pattern of random killings, the only reason any individual or group would want to commit such heinous murders is to give an opportunity for chaos to flourish in Somalia. Remember, there is an entire generation of young men who grew up knowing nothing but the use of force to achieve their objectives.

Somalia's suffering masses become indirect victims when an aid worker is killed or kidnapped. When foreign aid workers are evacuated from their sites, the internally displaces peoples they were helping miss them dearly. When a journalist is shot and killed, it is as if someone is trying kill a part of the truth. There are undoubtedly evil forces at play in Somalia, for those targeting worthy individuals do not want the rule of government to return after profiting from the peoples' misery for nearly two decades.

Garowe Online Editorial, editorial@garoweonline.com