By Dr. Yusuf O. Al-Azhari — It is no exaggeration that as long as vast commercial and diverse political interests reign supreme in Somalia, peace and reconciliation will remain far off dreams. Some Foreign merchants of death would rather prefer more fugitives extremist influx pour into Somalia than to witness a viable solution to the mess in the country. One cannot imagine the tremendous flow of clandestine wealth traded in millions that passes hands daily elicited by rogue merchants of many Nationalities in this seemingly no mans land called Somalia.
Coupled with internecine factional wars and persistent clan rivalries, these interests threaten regional security that ironically benefits the emerging death merchants in the horn of Africa. Internationally brokered peace pacts have been breached with unparalleled impunity by extremist’s parties in the conflict that has suddenly become the supporters of illicit trade for selfish personal gains.
Somalia and Mogadishu city in particular resemble market places for amongst other commodities, residual arms and other stockpiles imported by outlaws from outlawed Companies from around the world. Unfortunately, each rival Somali faction is a government unto itself, fully equipped and armed to defend itself and its share of the lucrative trade, against attacks and challenges of any established authority to protect its daily income. The beleaguered TFG feeble Authority seemingly starving to death with its demoralized force, finds itself cornered from all sides with in a radius of less than two kilometers with no soon salvage eminent to come from any where.
Like its predecessors, survival of the Federal Transitional Government (TFG) is a priority promised and not the welfare and security of Somalis that have been grappling with numerous problems for 20 years to be achieved. Since the overthrow of General Siad Barre in 1991, one government after another have come and gone, alliances have been short lived and peace pacts remains un utensil-able due to mistrust and lack of a strong trusty leadership.
International outlaws have taken advantage of the fragility of the government and support illegal undertakings of factional groups in the military hardware trade and other illicit business. Amongst active factions are Al-Shabab, Hizbul Islam and Ahlu Sunna who are astonishingly from the same main area in Somalia, whose mission is to hamstring, kill, terrorize and lucratively benefit wrongly in the name of Religion and even extorting favours in exchange for freedom and life.
The consequences of the existence of terror gangs in Somalia are too grave to comprehend and more so the reluctance of the International Community to take serious action and genuinely assist those Somalis who are ready to scarify for their country is hard to fathom. Few lucky victims escape the hamstring and slashing atrocities committed by the extremists to safety and reside abroad. Refugees in neighbouring countries in large numbers are loosing hope of any future home-land let alone Nationhood.
The ensuing confusion is celebrated by amongst others, war mongers, trigger happy militia, trawler pirate fishermen and toxic waste dumpers. Of all these undertakings, piracy and foreign trawler fishing pirates are unmatched in earnings. Concealed Ransom of unaccountable million dollars paid for ships captured in the past is too tempting to resist. In one month alone, pirates received five million dollar ransom from one owner of captured ship as recently as last month, apart from the pirate trawler regular fee payments.
All this paid premiums strengthen and entrench ground for outlawed merchants of hardware and ammunition dealers that fuel the conflict continuously encouraging insurgents to continue fighting in Somalia. Nearly two third of such laundry money is used for illegal arm purchase to exterminate the innocent. Some of this hardware gets its way into the neighbouring countries thus creating dangerous apprehension that pave a fertile ground for similar insurgency.
The Tuna and other Fish species rich Somali coast, currently out of bound for the FTG law enforcement is home to international trawlers pirates from Italy, Spain, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Yemen and Egypt among others. Local fishermen are either killed or expelled forcefully from the Somali sea shores by war ships protecting Foreign Trawlers. The survivors inadvertently turned pirates in the quest to earn a livelihood by arming themselves and to evince belonging to the Territory.
It is highly speculated that some European companies reportedly signed toxic waste dumping contracts with get rich quick brazen Somali personnel whose harmful effects are yet to be felt within the country and beyond very soon. Business people without borders are an impediment to any significant peace process, peace keeping initiatives and meaningful National negotiations. For instance, peace initiatives cannot be addressed and bear required results without clearing the Somali coast of Foreign trawler pirate, ready with laundry money and other undesirable elements from the country.
The more delay in finding in tackling the Somali problem seriously, will not only be a threat to the region but would set a practical example that could be implemented soon in other feeble countries around the world. It is in the regional interest and the world at large that international outlaws and unscrupulous terrorist traders are quickly checked and kicked out of the country in a collective joint effort if we still preserve the aspiration to live in peace and prosperity in a harmonious world.
The writer is veteran civil servant and career diplomat,
Email: [email protected]
