How do you solve a problem like Somalia?

pla101prc

Senior Member
lol no one is out there to solve the somalian problem anyways. the somalian pirates reminds me of the Boxer rebellion in China. cept these guys are just trying to survive
 

yehe

Junior Member
I hate to say it, but the only fast solution over somalia is a iraq kind of invasion, disarm and supress the local militant, set up a powerful central goverment using anyway nessesary capable of controlling the nation.
 

pla101prc

Senior Member
I hate to say it, but the only fast solution over somalia is a iraq kind of invasion, disarm and supress the local militant, set up a powerful central goverment using anyway nessesary capable of controlling the nation.

if ppl have jobs and money they wouldnt be joining the militants or becoming a pirate in the first place. the way i see it there is no practical solution. the best way is to force these pirates to join the warlords on land.
 

Scratch

Captain
To keep this thread going, the Islamists in Somalia appear to go international to achieve their aims at home.
al-Shabab is claiming responsability for twin bomb blasts in Uganda. They want african peacekeepers out of Somalia, and there's a few nations in the region that have intervened in the conflict allready.

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Somali militants claim Kampala World Cup blasts

The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has said it was behind twin blasts which hit the Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday, killing 74 people.

A spokesman for the group, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, threatened more attacks in a statement in Mogadishu.

Police said the bombings targeted football fans watching the World Cup final.

A Ugandan official said a Somali's head was found at the scene of one blast, and he may have been a suicide bomber.

Ugandan peacekeepers are in Somalia, and al-Shabab has previously threatened to take the fight to Kampala.

"Al-Shabab was behind the two bomb blasts in Uganda," Ali Mohamud Rage said.

"We thank the mujahideens that carried out the attack. We are sending a message to Uganda and Burundi, if they do not take out their Amisom [African Union Mission in Somalia] troops from Somalia, blasts will continue and it will happen in Bujumbura [the Burundi capital] too."

The explosions, which also injured about 70 people, ripped through a rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant as football fans watched the last few minutes of the World Cup final.

[...]

The attack on the Ethiopian restaurant also fits in with al-Shabab's regional policy.

Addis Ababa backs Somalia's government against the rebels. And Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement, stoking an insurgency that still rages.

A new strategy looking for power-sharing with others, the more moderate Ahlu-Sunah, may bring some new stability.

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Fresh hope for Somalia

July 12, 2010 - Mahdi Haile

It is ever clearer that a just military victory in Somalia is impossible. The resurgence of the Shabab and the weakness of the government in Mogadishu have forced a rethink of strategies to help stabilize the war-torn country. The results were evident at the recent cabinet reshuffle In Somalia, where the focus was not on the military, but instead on negotiations and power sharing with the oppositions such as Ahlu Sunah the moderate Islamist that can help bring peace to that long-suffering nation. ...

Meanwhile, the other side also thinks about consolidating their position. The leaders of the two biggest militant groups held talks lately on how to cooperate.

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Somalia's top Islamist leaders in unity talks

(AFP) – 2 days ago

MOGADISHU — The leaders of Somalia's two Islamist movements met for talks aimed at joining forces against the Western-backed government they are fighting to overthrow, officials said Saturday.

Abdi Mohamud Godane, also known as Abu-Zubeyr, the leader of the Al-Qaeda inspired Shebab group held talks with Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the head of the more political Hezb al-Islam militants in Mogadishu Friday.

The two hardline groups controlling much of the lawless country have been drawn apart in recent months and have repeatedly waged turf wars.

"The two leaders... met yesterday and discussed a broad unity agreement in order to launch a big offensive against the African invaders and their apostate government," a senior Shebab official told AFP on condition of anonymity

And then, there's actually also a bright example of how things can go good. The brake away province of Somaliland just held peacefull and free elections, with a change of political power and no struggle whatsoever.
I guess it would be a good sign to finally recognize that country, or then again maybe not and just leave them alone with things going, relatively, well.

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Somaliland: A Success Story

Monday, 12 July 2010

In Africa this past week a completely peaceful presidential election was held. International observers said it met all the western standards for a free election. What's more, the incumbent president fully accepted the result the minute it was announced and handed over power to his successor and bitter political rival -- and on accepting his victory, the president-elect thanked and congratulated the outgoing president for his services to his country.

What makes this election remarkable, and an important example not just to Africa but to the whole of the developing world -- especially Muslim countries -- is that it took place in Somaliland, a self-declared republic that broke away from the rest of Somalia 20 years ago, which doesn't get a penny of international assistance, and which hosts an estimated 600,000 refugees from the continuing civil war in the rest of Somalia.

The week before the election, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda's Somalia-based branch, warned the government and people of Somaliland not to go through with the election. Over 1 million voters ignored the threat, queuing for hours all over the country to cast their ballot. ...
 
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ravenshield936

Banned Idiot
i agree
use wt's effective and efficient, not ideal and unrealistic. forget western style democracy for now. when the time comes, we can think about it. thats my response from reading several ppl's posts up there. also, we shant have too much participation in their politics. it'd only backfire
 

Scratch

Captain
Continuing here a little, the situation is potentially heating up, or maybe someone's just testing the ground for support. But with local militias now operating outside the country, surrounding nations will probably by worrying a lot more about Somalia becoming a hub for spreading violence in the region.

So the old pros and cons of intervention will come up again, if it's an african dominated intervention, it might come with some legitimacy, actually, also bolstering Africa's capability to act effectivle on things. Then again, I still think it will be difficult for all those countries to come together and act.
And of course, the action would have to be done in a competand manner. Ugandan troops directing artilley fire roughly in the direction of percieved rebel position in / close to a city isn't bolstering their position as a peace supporting / enforing party of course.
Plus, that internationally recognized government of Sharif Amed is probably not the most credible group of people to lead that state.

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Museveni urges tough AU response in Somalia

By William Wallis in London - Published: July 15 2010 17:48 | Last updated: July 15 2010 19:29

The African Union should quadruple its peacekeeping force in Somalia and launch an “offensive” against the extremists behind this week’s bomb attacks in Uganda, the country’s president said on Thursday. [...]

A decision to increase its strength from about 5,000 troops to 8,000 had been taken before Sunday’s bombs [...]

To fight this al-Qaeda-affiliated group, Mr Museveni said 20,000 AU soldiers could be required. They would also need a more robust mandate.

“We are going to go on the offensive and go for all who did this in all areas starting here,” said Mr Museveni. “We were just in Mogadishu to guard the airport and the presidential palace. Now they have mobilised us to look for them ... I can assure you they have invited a lot of problems for themselves.”

Such fighting talk is typical of the Ugandan leader, who seized power in 1986 after waging a long guerrilla war. Mr Museveni, who will seek another term in next year’s elections, has won continued support from the west, partly by proving a reliable ally. [...]

Nigeria and Ghana, two countries that offered to deploy troops in Somalia, are thought unlikely to send them now. East African countries more immediately threatened by the prospect of Somalia forming a base for global jihad now have a powerful argument for intervention. Several experts said this could be counter-productive.
 

Scratch

Captain
Really looks like the conflict in Somalia is getting hot now. While additional AU troops start to arrive in the country, al-Shabab fighters attacked army baracks and a hotel in Mogadishu, killing at least 30 people.
Al-Shabab has vowed to fight a massive, final war against invaders in the country.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 17:42 Mecca time, 14:42 GMT

Al-Shabab vows 'massive' Somali war

Al-Shabab fighters have attacked a hotel in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, killing at least 35 people, a day after declaring a massive war. [...]

Eight parliamentarians were killed in the attack. [...]

The attack came after al-Shabab fighters declared a "massive, final" war against what they called "invaders" and attacked army barracks in several districts of Mogadishu on Monday. [...]

At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the violence that followed, medics and witnesses said.

There was an overnight lull before the fighting resumed on Tuesday morning.

The fighting came days after hundreds of Ugandan troops began arriving in the Somali capital to strengthen the current AU peacekeeping force. ...

Somalia also already seems to be part in a covert campaign by intel & security forces trying to fight al-Qaida affiliated factions throughout the middle east at least. With these latest developments, Somalia might come closer to the actual focal point, beisdes Pakistan, Yemen etc.
Piracy seems to be part of the whole picture here. Anybody knows something more about the relationship between al-Shabab and the local pirates? Are they mutually supportive?
 

Finn McCool

Captain
Registered Member
Anybody knows something more about the relationship between al-Shabab and the local pirates? Are they mutually supportive?

It's murky. Seems to me that at times some of the money from piracy ends up helping al Shabab, but most of the time they're independent. Al-Shabab are very similar in philosophy and practice to the Taliban, and the Taliban tended to shut down criminal groups of all kinds when they got into power.
 
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