Somalia’s Defining moment
Atunga Atuti O.J.
For
the past forty three years Somalis have never had a chance to elect a
president in their own soil. And over the past 21years, the Country has
not had a central government. September 10th is therefore a
defining moment for the Country. It is the first time that Somalis
participate in the election of their president. The past two presidents
under the transition arrangement have been undertaken in Kenya and
Djibouti. These elections are therefore an important confidence boost,
it will also help close an era of conflict and open doors of hope, peace
and development.
The
elections have come at a time when Somalia has missed several deadlines
in the move from the transition arrangement to a more stable government
which for the very first time in her twenty one tumultuous past will be
constituted in Mogadishu. It is not only the Somalis who are euphoric
about this development, Kenya which is host to large Somalia populations
and has borne the burden of un-ending refugee crisis and has also been a
victim of Somalia instability and radical elements and which has
contributed a large force for the pacification and stabilization of the
country is keen to see the process concluded peacefully. Other regional
actors interested in the establishment of order and central control in
Somalia include Ethiopia, Djibouti Burundi and Uganda both of whom have
contributed to the African Union Mission in Somalia. The scenes
witnessed in Mogadishu in the build up to the presidential elections are
a clear testimony of the yearnings among the Somali populace themselves
to have a transition from war to peaceful streets and beaches where all
Somali people will be able to call home.
The
level of interest that both the parliamentary and presidential polls
have elicited is manifested in the number and quality of persons who
have offered themselves for various positions. Somalia Diaspora has
shown keen interest in the affairs of their motherland. This is
testimony of the wish to be involved in the reconstruction process and end to the anarchy and
displacement that has reigned supreme for the past two decades. Apart
from the quality of candidates for the presidency, it is also worth
noting that a relatively fresher and younger generation of Somalis are
keen to take over leadership. The presidential contenders are between 45
and 55years.
As
Somalis prepare to usher in the new post-transition government, Somalia
will continue to require the support of the neighbours Kenya, Ethiopia,
Djibouti to overcome the challenges of post-war reconstruction. And
Somali war was no ordinary war. It is a conflict that has spawned over
twenty years which has essentially annihilated all forms of
development-social services, infrastructure, physical facilities like
airports and harbours, roads, schools and universities. In a word Somali
was reduced to a wasteland by her own leaders’ insatiable desire to
acquire political power by all means. Somali will therefore require the
support of her neighbours and the international community to re-build
her human capital curtailed by twenty years of no central authority. The
country will also need to establish instruments of government: a police
force, an army train and deploy doctors and nurses, teachers and other
cadres of personnel to run various departments and agencies of state and
society. This is no easy task but more critical is the necessity for
sustained support so that the allure of bandit economy and warlord-ism,
piracy and wanton exploitation of Somali natural resources by local and
international criminal networks does not return to destabilize the new
administration. The new government also needs continued and sustained
efforts to win the war against the extremist ideology that found
expression in al-shabab even long after the militants are vanquished.
Somali
has a large youth population-over 65 percent- many of whom have no
formal education and who have grown in the lawless streets of Mogadishu
and other towns and hamlets. This will present an immediate challenge of
meaningfully engaging them so that they do not become disenchanted with
the new government and end up as fodder for remnants or new militias
and other elements who currently benefit from the status quo. These
youths will need to be engaged in the reconstruction of their
infrastructure, law and order, peace and stability. But more importantly
the new government has to find ways of investing in enhanced skills of
the Somali youth as a worthy investment in the future stability of the
Somali Nation and Society.
The
Somali economy is in tatters but the resilient of the Somali nation in
Diaspora and even in Somali itself is one of the biggest strengths and
assets that the new government and the international community can build
on. Somali Diaspora can bring needed skills and international exposure
and contacts necessary for the new government to take off. The Somali
Diaspora in Kenya and their level of business acumen is an example of
what a stable Somali state and society can deliver. Twenty years of no
centralized authority, war and plunder would have routed even the
strongest of Nation-States but the Somalis have continued to thrive even
in foreign lands against all sorts of profiling and adversities. It is
time the International Community provided the
New Somali government with some sort of “Marshal Plan” for accelerated
reconstruction and development in order to forestall another false
start.
Africa is rising and is perhaps the only continent which through a combination of resilient peoples
has escaped the vagaries of worldwide collapse of economies. It is time
that African countries take the lead in the reconstruction of Somali.
It is perhaps the only return on of investment in twenty years of Somali
wilderness. It will be unforgivable of the African countries that
entirely constitute the AMISOM Stabilization force to leave the
reconstruction work to other countries whose soldiers have not shed
tears and blood in Somali hills and valleys. It should always be
remembered that when other countries interests were threatened by piracy
and sea-robbery, they constituted a force to protect their interests.
Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti and Burundi have taken the lead in dealing with
internal threats in Somali. It will be important that nationals of these
countries be accorded priority in the reconstruction process.
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Atunga Atuti O.J.
is the Chief Executive Officer of the East African School of Human
Rights and Convener of the Nairobi Policy Dialogues on East Africa and
the Horn of Africa Email: eajournal@email.com
