Mohammed Dhaysane
Wednesday October 11, 2023

Since earlier this year, the African Union (AU) has been in the process of drawing down its 22,000-strong peacekeeping force in Somalia, even as the country faces the continued threat of the al-Shabaab terror group.

As of September, the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) had withdrawn a total of 2,000 troops — less than the planned 5,000 — but this was enough to spark panic among the country’s security leadership, which, in the face of military setbacks and a hasty retreat from newly liberated areas, requested a “tactical” three-month delay to the drawdown.

Officials have expressed concern that al-Shabaab could overrun the country unless the UN Security Council extends the AU mandate past its December 2024 expiration date or a decades-long arms embargo is lifted.

One region under particular risk is Gedo, near the country’s southern tip.

According to Ali Yussuf Abdullahi, the regional administration’s spokesman, it will face dramatic security challenges if the Ethiopian forces hosted there are pulled out.

Little resources and manpower are left for outlying regions like Gedo to organize locals and mobilize regular forces, as most have been moved to the Horn of Africa nation’s heartlands.

“If AU forces withdraw today, we will not be able to hold more than two weeks due to lack of resources and a capable force in the region,” Abdullahi told Anadolu over the phone.

Unlike in central areas, where the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents faced uprisings as it besieged towns and burned food supplies, they opted in Gedo for political pragmatism.

“What we are dealing with here feels like another al-Shabaab,” said Abdullahi.

But this has not eased concerns.

Mohamed Abdi Tool, governor of neighboring Bakool, told Anadolu that Somalia lacks enough troops to fend off the threat on its own, just like in 2007 when AU troops got their mandate in the first place.

Experts think now would be an especially challenging time for Somalia to take over from the peacekeepers, given the wide range of jobs they currently shoulder.

“They (Somalia) are building their army, they’re fighting al-Shabaab, they’re holding areas, they’re also looking to expand the areas of which they do all of these activities,” said Omar Mahmood, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Eastern Africa.

Now, he told Anadolu, Mogadishu is trying to buy time by asking to delay the drawdown by three months.

“If Somalia needs that time to sort out this aspect, that might be enough. But it’s not necessarily to say that everything will be fine after that, there will still be challenges,” he cautioned.

This will also mark the legacy of the peacekeeping force, he said, stressing that while the AU mission had achieved a lot in Somalia over the past 16 years, the current dynamics will paint the way it is remembered.

Complex endeavor

Since 2007, Somalia has made considerable progress strengthening its security forces to eventually replace the AU mission.

But the task is complex and ongoing, according to Mohamed Husein Gaas, director of the Raad Peace Research Institute in Mogadishu.

“Large-scale international support is crucial, including capacity building, training, and equipping. Removing the arms embargo on Somalia would also facilitate this process,” Gaas told Anadolu.

Besides growing the Somali forces’ size and capabilities, a full takeover from the AU mission will require continued support for the national army, meticulous planning to ensure smooth transfer of responsibilities, and, until then, a reinvigoration of the peacekeeping force, he said.

While the AU force initially made significant strides in combating al-Shabaab, including by pushing them out of major urban areas, recent years have seen limited offensive actions, he noted.

Another crucial point, according to Gaas, will be maintaining “a balanced approach, where Somalia takes ownership of its security while benefiting from international assistance and capacity-building efforts directly.”

To effectively combat the terror threat and achieve lasting peace and security, a “renewed, proactive approach is essential,” he said.

Epic failure

A withdrawal now would mean an “epic failure” for AU peacekeeping efforts in Africa, neglecting the sacrifices thousands of soldiers, according to Abdirisak Aden, executive director of Farsight Africa Research and Policy Studies.

Speaking to Anadolu, Aden said that while the mission and the African peace and security leadership had already decided to halt the withdrawal, it would ultimately be up to the AU and other countries to provide Somalia the needed financial support.

“Somalia needs a fraction of US and EU funding to Ukraine to defeat al-Shabaab,” he said, underlining that the UN Security Council needed to understand that Somalia is fighting a global terror organization on the world’s behalf.

Aden argued that to sustain the winning tide of the war against al-Shabaab, the arms embargo on Somalia must be gradually lifted to allow the federal government “the necessary military capabilities” to defeat al-Shabaab.

Complete defeat of al-Shabaab

For Gaas, complete defeat of al-Shabaab during the current term of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is ambitious but achievable.

The country is at the cusp of a critical opportunity toward fully eliminating the group, he said, pointing to recent “unprecedented” territorial gains against it.

Final victory, Gaas added, would demand a “comprehensive, well-coordinated, long-term approach, encompassing stabilization, service delivery, rebuilding, and reconciliation.”

Wednesday October 11, 2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday vowed to scale up efforts to help Somalia offer quality mental health care and services across the country.

In a statement marking World Mental Health Day, which fell on Tuesday, the WHO noted it would step up the training of health professionals to help integrate mental health into primary health care in the country.

Urgent action is taken so that everyone can exercise their human rights and access the quality mental health care they need, said the WHO, stressing that support to health institutions in Somalia will ensure that mental health is valued, promoted, and protected.

“This includes efforts to strengthen an integrated, multisectoral response through evidence-based and achievable plans that promote the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental and neurological disorders, with respect for human rights and social protection,” it said.

The WHO said Somalia has particularly been affected by mental health challenges owing to decades of protracted conflict, which has severely disrupted social cohesion, broken down social norms, and led to nearly one in every three Somalis suffering from some form of mental health condition.

In June and July, the WHO supported the Somali Ministry of Health in training 50 health professionals in the regional hospitals of Hudur, South West State, and Dhusamareb, Galmudug State.

Wednesday October 11, 2023

Residents in Bohol-Arus in Afdheer zone, Ethiopia’s Somali Region, are on the verge of losing their livestock and have been selling them off to buy water.

An estimated 500 families have had to buy water from trucks at $30 a barrel because the rain-fed ponds in the village have dried up.

Ahmed Hassan Mohamed, 37, told Radio Ergo that the crisis became extreme in mid-June.

“Bohol-Arus gets water delivered by trucks occasionally although we as families can’t afford it. Myself, I keep goats and am having to sell off one goat each time to buy water. I use the income for three or four days then it’s finished. I can’t keep up like this,” said Ahmed, fearing he could lose his entire herd at this rate.

He has sold off eight goat so far but there is no sign of an end to the water shortage is continuing. In August, he and others migrated to Gurajo village 13 kilometres away hoping to get water from a hand-dug well.

However, they returned to Bohol-Arus on 3 October as the water was running out and tensions were growing among all the pastoralists trying to access the well.

They returned to their area disappointed but cautious not to get caught up in conflict over water.

“This could be solved if we had a place with a water source, even a river. We don’t have the capacity to travel long distances. I don’t have other income to use to sustain my goats, so now I’m forced to stay in my area although it’s dry with no water and I have seven children to support,” he said in frustration.

Ahmed has 12 vulnerable goats and fears they might not survive the severe water shortage. He is also worried for his family’s survival if they lose their livestock, as they are short of food.

“Food has become scarce, we used to eat three meals but now we miss out on two meals. We cook beans whenever we can get them,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed has lost 97 goats over the past two years of drought and the family has been impoverished.

Another villager in Bohol-Arus, Abdullahi Mohamud Abdi, 40, has 15 goats that are too weak to walk far in search of water. They are too thin to sell and he is keeping them trying to avoid total loss of his family’s livestock and living.

“We are people living in the rural areas, we used up everything we had to get water, we don’t have a government to support us. There is just a small number of animals that have survived the drought,” he said.

Abdullahi said that since August he had sold off five goats to buy water for the rest of the herd. He and his wife and eight children mostly eat sorghum once a day.

“These few (goats) can’t bring us much income if sold. I don’t know where to run to now. I don’t have much. So it’s really a very hard situation if we don’t get God’s mercy, we just depend on God,” he said.

The local water pond which has the capacity of storing 1,000 barrels of water did not fill up during the poor ‘gu rainy season.

Abdullahi says he has lost 160 goats and 35 camels over the past three years.

An environmental scientist, Abdi Mahad Hassan, said the local pastoralists were unable to make plans to store fodder or water ahead of the drought. Having lived in Bohol-Arus, he says the government needs to support people in drilling boreholes.

“The people in the area have tried to drill boreholes but the water is about 30 metres down and they can’t dig that deep. It’s necessary to get drilling equipment from the government, that’s the only way to get water,” he said.

Wednesday October 11, 2023

Somali youth have launched a campaign against the littering of plastic waste on the beaches of the capital, Mogadishu, infusing vitality into marine ecosystems that support livelihoods.

This initiative for environmental protection began at Mogadishu’s Liido beach in the Abdiaziz district two years ago. It started with only six volunteers, but the campaign has now grown, attracting thousands of volunteers from universities and community-based organizations.

Abdiwahab Sudi Nihaye, the assistant team leader, said: “We started cleaning the waste, especially the plastic, at the beachfront with only six volunteers. We are committed to realizing our dream of seeing clean and safe beaches as part of environmental protection. The timing was also challenging because we carry out such activities early every Friday morning.”

Nihaye explained that the objective is to reduce threats related to plastic pollution, which harms not only visitors, youths, swimmers, and businesswomen at the beaches but also sea creatures.

“Liido beach is visited by thousands of local people and foreign tourists as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations. They tour by boats, swim, play football, and come for fun. Therefore, we are working on securing their safety by cleaning plastic and anything that poses a threat to human life. Our communication is open, and we welcome volunteers to join our community,” Nihaye said.

Suweydo Mohamed Abdi, 25, is a female environmental activist who collaborates with the youth in awareness campaigns and practical beach-cleaning activities. She explains the importance of such campaigns to communities and marine life, saying “We must all stand up to protect our environment, fight plastic pollution, and clean up all harmful waste and garbage near our beautiful beaches. If we do not work hard on this, we will not be able to extract resources like fish from the sea, as plastic pollution can quickly kill them.”

Reham Ibrahim Anshur, 24, a female volunteer working with people with special needs, learned about the beach clean-up campaign through social media and felt inspired to offer support. She said: “Being people with special needs does not mean that we cannot contribute to our country. This is a must. I am very happy to participate in this meaningful activity. We need peace, a green, and safe environment for our country.”

Jeylani Ali Hussein, a 56-year-old disabled individual, shared that he was motivated to clean the beaches as part of his contribution to improving the health of marine ecosystems that provide livelihoods to millions of Mogadishu residents.

These environmental campaigns hold great significance for Somalia, which faces significant challenges related to climate change, droughts and violent extremism. Given concerns about possible El Nino rains and storms that can cause extensive damage to marine life, campaigns like these are crucial, as highlighted by the Somali government and the United Nations agencies.