Synopsis .com



Updated Synopsis by: Maddie Hauss

Topic: Somalia

Background:

On June 1st 1960 the northern and southern territories formerly known as French Somaliland united and became the country now known as Somalia. Due to the effects of the Cold War, Somalia quickly became an important asset in the American and Soviet conflict, as a port country in Africa. Conflict with the Soviet Union in 1977 led the Socialist Somali government to the USA for aid. This partnership allowed Somalia to build up the largest army in Africa, making military presence a constant in Somalia. This military presence never left the country and in 1991 political struggles between the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Somali National Movement caused a disruption in food and water distribution in south Somalia. This famine killed over 300,000 before the UN could sufficiently establish itself to provide humanitarian aid. Because of the continued civil war, and the absence of a central government, 678,000 people were displaced in the southern tip alone, making refugees another crisis for the UN.

Recent developments in Somalia have consisted of the re-involvement of the Islamic Terrorist Group Al-Shabaab. For a short respite this highly aggressive and dangerous organization was dormant in the country of Somalia, but in August of 2011 they joined the conflict in full force. A large bomb was detonated outside of a Somalian governmental compound killing dozens, and hundreds of fighters have poured into Dhobley, a significant market town. Kidnappings of westerners and trafficking of various illegal substances has become commonplace in funding these organizations. As of September 2012, Al-Shabaab’s last major stronghold of Kismayu was captured by Kenyan forces but Al-Shabaab vows to “turn Kismayu into a battle zone.” The recent rise of piracy off the coast of Somalia has presented the region with even more problems. The hijacking of ships and the abduction of hostages is terrorizing the area. In August 2012, Somalia’s first permanent central government since the civil war was inaugurated. Many nations around the world are doubtful that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his new cabinet will be able to effectively reconstruct and bring order to Somalia which for decades has been ranked as one of the world’s poorest, most violent countries, plagued by warring militias, famine, warlords and pirates.  

Remember to try to keep this section as relevant to the present as possible, we will be focusing more upon what is happening currently rather than what has happened.

Past UN Involvement:

The UN first became involved within Somalia with the creation of UNOSOM I (UN Operation in Somalia) by the Security Council. This action allowed for peacekeepers to be used in Somalia, in order to stop the violence. Their use of force was completely limited to self defense. But this action failed to stem the flow of violence throughout Somalia. The next major action taken by the UN was creation of the UN Task Force (UNITAF). This group was meant to create a secure environment in southern Somalia to allow for the alleviation of the widespread famine. The failure of UNITAF marked the creation of UNOSOM II. This USA action was sanctioned by the UN, but mainly was run on the USA’s terms. This operation was responsible for the Battle of Mogadishu in which over 1,000 Somali casualties and 19 American casualties. This solution effectively failed, actions on this sort of scale have been disbanded up until the present.

Multinational coalitions have also had a role to play in some of the most recent developments in Somalia. For example the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) within the gulf of Aden was recently implemented by such countries as France, Germany and the UK. This action helped to combat piracy from impoverished fishing areas effective and has even resulted in the capture of some prominent leaders of piracy rings in Somalia. Other actions would include a 2011 initiative led by Somalia and Kenya against the Al-Shabaab Islamic organization and other organized terrorist groups. Both countries have sought international aid in their mission and have seen success against prominent terrorist organizations.

NGO action thus far has been limited due to the civil war, but progress has been noted in Southern Somalia in areas with little conflict. For example the International Committee of the Red Cross has been acting nearly continuously since 1977. Lack of food and water due to the famine has led to allocations of purified water and food across camps. Also, the World Food Program (WFP), UNDP, UNHCR, WHO have been heavily involved in getting humanitarian aid to inaccessible areas affected by flooding and violence. For example WFP recently airlifted over 14 tons of food to Afmadow, an area which was recently flooded. UNICEF is the sole provider for virtually all school supplies and text books for primary schools in Somalia. It is also the lead agency in providing vaccines and essential drugs for maternal and child health clinics and health posts, as well as services for the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition among children. The NGO Safety Program (NSP) for Somalia is a program that was established by NGOs, which aims at contribute to the security and protection of international and national NGOs operating in Somalia.

On November 15, 2012, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the swearing in of the Somalia’s new cabinet members and endorsed the country’s parliament. He stated that “This marks an important step in the determined efforts by Somalia’s new leadership to bring about a positive change in Somalia.”

Country Policy:

In this section address the specific policy of your country related to this issue. Make sure that the policy you come up with matches with past actions made by your country and its close allies. Most of the policies will be very similar because this is mainly a humanitarian topic. Regarding solutions involving military actions and governmental sanctions, make sure that any action plans are on topic.

Questions to Consider:

1. What can be done by the UN that has not been effectively addressed?

2. Can any new UN led or sanctioned military presence be allowed again after the last time (UNOSOM II)?

3. How can humanitarian aid be effectively delivered and distributed, without any disruptive action from rebel or Islamic groups?

4. Can the international community become involved as a whole through the UN? Or will the duty fall again to a military power?

Sources:













................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download