Somalia as a Failed State

How a Forgotten African Nation is Struggling to Survive Amid Chaos

Sep 14, 2009

As most of the U.S. national news outlets continue to focus on health care reform and the economy, Somalia is locked in what seems to be a war without end.

In a seemingly forgotten nation, two Somali factions, the Islamic extremist militia al Shabaab and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), are locked in a power struggle for what is left of the country’s civilization.

Why is Somalia a Failed State?

According to the 2009 Failed States Index, Somalia ranks highest in instability for the second year in a row. The index ranks various political, economic, and social factors to calculate a nation’s volatility. While the reasons for Somalia’s breakdown are complex, a September 2009 National Geographic report indicates that a combination of geography, history, and clan dynamics have contributed to the nation’s instability.

In 2004, The United Nations-backed TFG established a tenuously stable rule in the now semi-autonomous Somaliland, the northern region of Somalia. But, according the National Geographic report, the Islamic insurgent groups al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam have taken over much of central and southern Somalia. Both the TFG and the Islamic insurgents claim dominion over Somalia, and war continues to this day.

A Brief History of Somalia

According to The World Book Encyclopedia, ancestors of the Somalis were converted to Islam in the ninth and 10th centuries. Arabs and Somalis fought many wars against the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia. National Geographic reports that what held Somalia together for centuries was its “elaborate clan system,” composed of five principal clan families. Under the rule of clan elders, a regulated system of stability endured until the colonial era.

In the late 19th century, the British colonized northern Somalia (referred to then and now as Somaliland) and the Italians colonized southern Somalia. After World War II, both regions were granted independence, and in 1960 stern nationalism among the Somalis culminated in the formation of the Somali Republic. But in the leadership void after colonial withdraw, the clan system that once held the country together rapidly deteriorated.

After the assassination of the elected Somali president in 1969, General Mohamed Siad Barre—widely regarded as a dictator by outsiders yet revered as a just leader by Somalis—took control of the nation and outlawed the clan system. In the 1970s, ongoing disputes with Ethiopia led to widespread fighting. In 1991, a rival clan ousted Barre, and civil war ensued. The nation has been without a stable government ever since.

While reports seem to indicate that Somaliland is stabilizing, the rest of Somalia is deteriorating. Anarchy rules much of the country, and fighting continues not only between the TFG and insurgents, but between the tribal warlords themselves. While the TFG is backed by the United Nations, the United States, and Ethiopia, it receives little in humanitarian aid. National Geographic reports some 3.5 million need emergency food aid, but the lack of security makes help difficult to provide.

In the tumult, the Somali people live day to day in fear for their lives. Many flee the country to refugee camps in Kenya and Yemen. According to Amnesty International, civilians are raped and mutilated by rival clans. Journalists are routinely arrested or kidnapped. Piracy is rampant. Somalia’s infrastructure is in ruins, and thousands of civilians have been displaced or killed by the fighting.

Amnesty International, along with other humanitarian organizations, is working to “effect positive change in Somalia.”

Sources

Draper, Robert. “Shattered Somalia.” National Geographic. Sept. 2009: 70-97.

Draper, Robert. “Why Things Fall Apart.” National Geographic. Sept. 2009: 98-99.

The copyright of the article Somalia as a Failed State in Somalia is owned by Jeremy Mangum. Permission to republish Somalia as a Failed State in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.