Drought and Conflict in Somalia: Two large issues both unnoticed by the world

By Erin Schmidt

Somalia, located on the eastern border of central Africa is a country in conflict for many reasons. Sadly, it is also one of the many whose conflicts are going largely “unnoticed” by the international community without many signs of resolution, more assistance, or peace. The country of Somalia is facing two conflicts currently: drought and violence. Since 1991, Somalia has virtually had no effective government. It has also been labeled a “humanitarian disaster zone” for over almost twenty years. In 2006 a transitional government supported by Ethiopia, threw out numerous Islamists in the capital of

Mogadishu after years of civil war. Since that time, the Islamist militia, known as al-Shabab, have increased their resistance and violent activity in the region around the capital and throughout the country. The United States has placed these al-Shabab groups on the list of “foreign terrorist organizations”. They are made up of youth and military members of the former Sharia courts which were part of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). These courts ruled regions of Somalia until 2006 when the transitional government removed them from power. In the last fifteen months alone, hundreds of thousands have fled the region which estimated 20,000 people fleeing monthly. Attempts to negotiation with the militia groups have all come up short.

There are currently 2,400 African Union peace keepers in Mogadishu with more planned.  Also in the region around Mogadishu are 1,600 Ugandan troops and a planned combined 8,000 troop African Union force, but this large force has yet to be assembled and plans are looking more long term than short term. Ban Ki-moon has asked the UN to send 27,000 peacekeepers into the region but this has yet to happen, and it doesn’t look good for this conflict in Somalia.

The 2^nd issue facing the country of Somalia concerns effects from the drought in the Horn of Africa. More than two million Somali citizens rely on food aid and this number is growing. The food aid, mainly from the World Food Program is reporting that total over 14.5 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance throughout Somalia. World Food Program vehicles are not able to access the people because of the militias, mentioned above, overtaking roadblocks and sometimes the food itself. There is chronic insecurity in the region and millions are suffering, especially the children. Infants are all underweight and showing signs of chronic malnutrition. The rain has not come for the third year in a row, resulting in crop and land destruction. Families are being forced to flee after reduced to poverty, and many families are being wiped out completely.

It is sad to report on such atrocities especially given that the International Institute serves hundreds of clients from Somalia. It is also heartbreaking that such violence is occurring literally under the world community’s eyes. The UN is overwhelmed and unable to provide proper resources needed for current missions, yet alone future needed missions, such as in Somalia. The situation in this region is at immediate emergency level, but yet it remains “unnoticed”. Who is going to come to the aid of the country and the region? Sadly this is a question without many coming forward to answer the call.

If you would like to learn about the region or for more information please consult www.bbcnews.com where information and images for this article was taken. As well as:

http://www.unicefusa.org/ 

http://www.icrc.org/eng

http://www.sos-usa.org/pages/default.aspx

http://www.usaid.gov

Post and photo by Erin Schmidt, Advocacy Intern 

The International Criminal Court  (ICC) in the Hague, Netherlands charged two Congolese militia leaders with war crimes last Friday, June 27^th. The International Criminal Court is the world’s first permanent war crimes court. It is currently hosting the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The trial underway at this time is that against Charles Taylor former leader of Sierra Leone.  These charges represent the beginning of the second case launched by the World Court since its creation in 2002. The first trial conducted by the court was also of another Congolese militia man, Thomas Lubanga. This case has been suspended over issues related to evidence withholding from the defense. 

The two men charged are Germain Katanga (Head of Patriotic Forces of Resistance of Ituri) and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui (Head of Allied Front of Nationalists and Integrationists militia). Both are accused of “planning and ordering an attack, in which more than 200 villagers were allegedly killed”. The incident was part of the overall Ituri conflict. The conflict raged on after the peace accord ended Congo’s 1998-2003 war. During the conflict, militias from the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups were pitted against one another. (www.worldbank.org/drc)

Witness reports claim that the victims of this crime were burned and many women were forced to become sex slaves, these are both crimes against humanity and thus cause for International Criminal Court indictments. The Court began its “confirmation of charges” Friday June 27^th, in which evidence will be presented to support the charges including: murder, sexual slavery, rape, inhumane acts, and recruiting child soldiers. After this there will be 60 days in which the court will decide whether or not to go to trial http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7477702.stm.

I have personally had the opportunity to visit the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands and visited the Special Court for Sierra Leone’s case against Charles Taylor this spring. I found the court to be very interesting and a real hope for future justice for the millions of people in the world that are affected by such crimes. The Court however, is complex in its evidence collection and case research, the main reason why there has only been one case so far. There are challenges to the International Criminal Court, but hope is alive and well that it will continue its pursuit for global justice in our complex world and can help serve as some small sense of justice for those from the region. The International Institute St. Louis, currently is serving clients from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

For more information on the International Criminal Court please go to http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html&l=en Or for information on the DRC and how you can help, go to http://www.theirc.org/special-report/congo-forgotten-crisis.html

Another guest post from Ashley Mace:

As today is World Refugee Day, I logged onto my computer to find some uplifting statistics about the effects of our efforts to resettle victims of overseas conflict and oppression. The statistics on solely refugee aid seemed a bit inconsistent so I stuck with general foreign aid statistics. Laudatory claims that the U.S. is the leading donor of monetary assistance could be found on many websites, as we donate a whopping $12,900,000,000 to general foreign aid initiatives. We comprehensively blew other countries like Great Britain (we send $8 billion more) out of the water. The next closest donor gives $3.5 billion less.  I thought, “Way to go, America! You rock! What a great example of benevolence for the other stingy countries.”  And then reality struck… 

One web site I stumbled upon opened my eyes by putting this statistic into perspective. As you scroll down the page the U.S. drops to LAST PLACE in a comparison of ten internationally respected countries when the foreign aid is a function of our GDP (gross domestic product).

Norway, a country that certainly does not carry the international clout that we do, offers fully 6.5 times more than we do. An average citizen in Norway gives $390.39 annually while an average American gives $43.22. Who is the stingy country now?  

In this entry I don’t mean to confuse with statistics and lingo, but I want to highlight the fact that although we claim superpower status, our immense power has not been met with an equivalent generosity towards others. To me it seems absurd that we should give so little when we have been blessed with so much. No clear solution exists to rectify the situation but we could begin by urging our representatives to support expansion of our assistance. 

With great power comes great responsibility, and accordingly we need to be more responsive to the interests of other countries with much more immediate dangers than we experience here in America.

Against All Odds is a refugee simulation game created by the UNHCR. You can play it here: http://www.playagainstallodds.com/. Today is World Refugee Day, so tell someone you know to play the game and learn about the refugee situation world wide.

Our intern, Blake, played it recently, and here’s her reflection.

A fully armed officer shoves a paper and pen before me.  “Do you give up the right to vote?”  NO, I mark.  I value my democratic rights, thank you very much.  A massive fist bludgeons my face, staining my paper crimson.  “Is homosexuality a crime?”  I check NO again.  Wasn’t gay marriage just deemed legal in California?  More blood.  Alright, perhaps there’s a pattern here.  “I promise to never spread information forbidden by the government.”  Yes?  Phew.  No reward, but no violent upswing, either.  Interrogated further, I agree to renounce my faith, discontinue speaking in my native tongue, and assert the police have treated me well. 

Okay, so this isn’t technically happening to me, per se.  I’m playing Against All Odds, a virtual reality game created by UNHCR to mimic what life’s like for refugees.  Though my artificial entity receives the blows, my physical self’s emotions are fully engrossed. It’s just a computer game, I try to remind myself, though it’s hard not to internalize events on the screen.In the next scenario, I haphazardly flee with only a few belongings.  Despite successfully crossing the border, I make dire sacrifices.  When my best friend neglects to bring his identification along, for instance, I’m forced to decide between getting caught at the checkpoint or leaving him behind.  I find myself in a philosophical conundrum.  Is one’s life the same without friends?  For the sake of strategy, I choose to abandon my comrade, but I don’t know what I’d do if this were real.             

Eventually I arrive at an intake center where an interpreter helps me adjust.  Surely, things will be easier from here, I think.  Wrong.  I’m humiliated in trying to determine my new classmates’ social cues, told I’m improperly dressed at my first job interview, and consistently overhear complaints about immigrants.  Even my neighbors slam doors in my face, claiming they didn’t take chances with foreigners.  So much for a warm American welcome…              

I sit and stare at the screen for a moment after the game ends, thinking about the awful decisions I had to make to survive and the harsh reality of prejudice.  I sincerely hope I’m never put in a similar situation.  Real life generally isn’t as merciful as computer game designers allow. 

This post begins a weekly issue-related blog submission by our Advocacy Intern, Erin Schmidt. Erin is a graduate student at Webster University. 

For the 1^st time in more than 15 years, it is looking as though peace in the small African nation of Burundi is possible. The gunfire has stopped, areas that have been closed for many years are now open and the people of Burundi are beginning to really think that peace is possible. The ongoing civil war in the region appears to be ending. The cease-fire agreement that was signed in late May 2008 is remaining intact, and the last of the rebel groups has agreed to come to the negotiating table. All the rebel leaders are currently assembled in the capital of Bujumbura.

 

Burundi, a country of 8.7 million people, has seen its civil overshadowed by conflicts in the Congo and Rwanda.  The conflict in Burundi had been brewing for years but it boiled over in 1993 when there was a coup by mostly Tutsi army officers who assassinated the country’s first Hutu president. The coup led to open warfare and over 200,000 people were killed with countless other being victims of violent acts. Despite election held in 2005, where the Burundians chose a Hutu government, the National Liberation Forces continued to fight and inflict violence (see Burundi and Rebels Break Impasse  for more information).

 

The next step in the peace process will involve the continued holding of the cease fire along with getting the remaining rebel fighters to disarm and integrate into the Burundian National Army. The number of rebel troops remaining is said to be 3,000 according the government and 15,000 is the number given from the rebel groups, many of the young fighters often wonder what exactly they are fighting over anyway. There have been failed peace agreements before but this time many are thinking that peace in the region is actually becoming a possibility.

The International Institute currently assists recent refugees from Burundi. If you would like more information on the crisis in

Burundi or for information on how you can help please access any of the following sites:

  http://www.theirc.org/?gclid=CLn5gP_g-ZMCFRghnAodGDW3Ww

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1068873.stm 

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2821.htm

http://globalpolicy.igc.org/security/sanction/indexbur.htm          Information taken from UN Wire Article from the NY Times on 16 June 2008