Thursday, January 9, 2014

The abdication of responsibility in the Somali security sector

For the past few weeks there has been an abnormal amount of targeted killings as well as bombings occurring in Mogadishu. The capital has been rocked by rampant insecurity because of the sustained attacks it has endured by Al Qaeda's local branch "Al Shabaab". The militant Islamist's have vowed to bring down the federal government and what it calls the "Apostates". The bombings last week mainly targeted restaurants and hotels popular with government officials, it proved the long held assertion that Al Shabaab had the time, discipline and access to the required resources for the execution of well planned terrorist attacks.


                                                                Top Somali military official appointed in 2012

The government was quick to dismiss the terrorists attacks as "Desperate" and not "significant". With such attitude to terrorism and Al Shabaab you would believe that the war has been won a long time ago. Perhaps the government officials are confusing their personal AMISOM security guards,with that of Mogadishu. With such statements it is not hard to be pessimistic whenever officials tout words like "Improvement in security" for the public. 

The federal government indeed has a serious security problem despite having over several thousand AMISOM, SNA and other Security branches present in the capital. There can be an argument made about SNA having been able to curb some of its "Isbaro" problem that was so rampant under the TFG.  

Well yes, illegal checkpoints are not present in Mogadishu anymore, that doesn't mean the SNA is credible or competent. Despite regularly working beside the slightly more professional AMISOM troops in the capital, the SNA still projects everything but professionalism.


There has been documented cases that point to the Somali security forces being disorganized as well as showcasing poor skills in the field.  They are regularly seen as not paying attention to their surroundings in public areas as well as having a serious problem of addiction to drugs such as Khat. Even basic requirements such as wearing the proper uniform is a challenge, a challenge that is not being addressed by the military officials. Thus a culture of indifference and laziness is pervasive in the Security forces.



                                                                   The bullets were mostly hitting the sand instead of the target


Indeed there are many institutional problems the SNA and the other security forces are facing. These institutional problems exists due to two factors. One is the lack of funding the Somali security services have to deal with. It is a problem for the government if they cannot guarantee constant monthly salary, rationing as well as sufficient bullets and firearms. The other problem is the lack of political will coming from Mogadishu when it comes to the Somali security sector. Indeed we have been hearing alot of complaints and criticism against the donor countries from Mogadishu. However funding is not everything when it comes to the Somali security sector. 


There are other factors that are at least equally as important as providing firearms and salary. For example, the SNA suffers a lack of discipline. It is always imperative that there is a chain of command and someone that has responsibility for the SNA units, those are of course the army officials that have personally been handpicked by the president. Therefore any failure of behalf of the soldiers, must be immediately tied to the higher up officials. We saw that did not happen when the conflicts between SNA and civilians broke out in lower Shabelle.

Indeed it was a major eyeopener that Mogadishu was unable to clearly and swiftly punish those instigating violence and to quickly impose a curfew in these towns. Instead the fight was raging close to a month and allowed Al Shabaab to meddle and influence the fighting clans to "make peace". The government had to move the whole army to the outskirts of the town, basically admitting these uniformed men were bandits, and that the only way for peace to prevail in places such as Jowhar was expelling every soldier.


                                                               Humiliation for Mogadishu, propaganda victory for Al Shabaab


The incompetence that Mogadishu displayed was not easy to swallow. As a consequence the military officials faced no reprimanding or disciplinary action. Indeed there was no one taking the blame for this massive display of institutional failure in the SNA. We must ask ourselves then, if Mogadishu is unable to exert power over the army, let alone reform it. How will the federal government ever disprove critics that it can not govern the rest of the country?

Unless action is taken to tackle these problems, the country will be dependent on AMISOM for the foreseeable future.

terror free somalia : opinion and analysis Kiop Huryo

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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