COUNTRY #203: SOMALIA

As embarrassingly epitomized by my current trip with a prodigious carbon footprint, some  of us seem unaffected by the tribulations of economic turmoil and poverty.  We might pontificate about global warming and peak oil, but gave up a long time ago (yes, there is this blog, but I can't influence the key decision-makers and wonder if I'm wasting my time) and have subsequently mostly resorted to blaming our broken governments and wringing our hands at the oil industry and OPEC.  Sure, Greece is in trouble and Spain could be next.  But things are, in fact, worse, a lot worse, for many billions on Planet Earth.  I can warn you now that the discourse provided by GOOGLE is hardly readable.  You might want to scroll down to my summary.  


Welcome country #203:

SOMALIA POPULATION: 9,925,640

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Background

Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule characterized by the persecution, jailing and torture of political opponents and dissidents. After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. 

Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a constitutional democracy, including holding municipal, parliamentary, and presidential elections. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring semi-autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. 

Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored. In 2000, the Somalia National Peace Conference (SNPC) held in Djibouti resulted in the formation of an interim government, known as the Transitional National Government (TNG). When the TNG failed to establish adequate security or governing institutions, the Government of Kenya, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), led a subsequent peace process that concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of a second interim government, known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic. The TFG included a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). President YUSUF resigned late in 2008 while United Nations-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. 

In January 2009, following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government, Ethiopian military forces, which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Islamic Courts Union (ICU), withdrew from the country. The TFP was increased to 550 seats with the addition of 200 ARS and 75 civil society members of parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed, the former CIC and ARS chairman as president on 31 January 2009, in Djibouti. Subsequently, President SHARIF appointed Omar Abdirashid ali SHARMARKE, son of a former president of Somalia, as prime minister on 13 February 2009. SHARMARKE resigned in September 2010 and was replaced by Mohamed Abdullahi MOHAMED, aka Farmajo, a dual US-Somali citizen who lived in the United States from 1985 until his return to Somalia in October 2010. The creation of the TFG was based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), which outlines a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. However, in January 2009 the TFP amended the TFC to extend TFG's mandate until 2011.

The above is the official GOOGLE summary of Somalia.  Frankly, I'm not sure what was said.  Glad you got this far for my attempt to put reality in a different light.  The fact of the matter is that SOMALIA is a failed state of violence and poverty.  Best as I can tell, this nation is not even included in the UN Human Development Index.  The very worst is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but Somalia has an even lower HDI.

There are around 10 million people, and the capital is Mogadishu with a population of 2 million.  I actually once flew right over this city.  Almost everyone is Muslim, mostly Sunni.  There has been no central government, as such, for more than two decades, but consider that the rule was communistic then and nothing now.  Remember the movie "Blackhawk Down?"  This is where it occurred.

Supposedly, Somalian pirates have impeded shipping by $15 billion/year since 2005.  Actually, going back into the BCs, the Romans then had to contend with these pirates.

This is not a country for women:

There has been recent progress to organize a central government and the future economy could improve with their natural resource deposits, including the potential for oil.  Attempts are being made to spur tourism, but you don't want to go there today.  America has no presence there.

Certainly, I want to encourage that individual who found this blog site.  I wish you well and hope the best for your country.

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