Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Terrorist Organization Strikes Again in East Africa
Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab is reemerging in conflict in the southern part of the country. After being ousted from Mogadishu, the capital city, Somalia along with members of the international community believed that the group’s threat would begin to diminish. On the contrary, Al-Shabaab struck again in small town named Bula-Hawa near the Kenyan border. The attack killed dozens of people and it showed that the presence of Al-Shabaab will continue to cause problems. Since they were defeated in Mogadishu, the terrorists have relocated to a northern region of Somalia, Puntland.
One of the reasons I chose this topic is because it is interesting how the problem has spread to another country. Somalia’s problems have had a history of spilling over into Ethiopia, Djibouti, and even Kenya. But what makes this situation different is that Al-Shabaab is now also targeting non-Somali Kenyan citizens. The situation poses the question will Kenya be forced to have an aggressive approach to AL-Shabaab if their own citizens face a direct threat? As Kenya “is increasingly becoming unsafe,” they will have to step up their fight against terrorism. Kenya will most likely become increasingly involved with the Somali terrorist group over time.
Another reason I chose this topic is related to themes we have been discussing in class. In the bigger picture, Somalia faces yet another setback. Despite reports of the country becoming increasingly stable, it will never achieve the peace it desires so long as Al-Shabaab is present. It is crucial for the Somali transitional government to make it a priority to defeat the radical terrorist group. Removing Al-Shabaab’s power will pave the way for stability and this may lead to an increase of foreign aid. Even though Somali has received countless forms of international humanitarian aid in the last few years due to the famine and drought, the country still needs help from the international community for development. The international community will not contribute foreign direct investment to a country that is continually unstable. Somalia must successfully contain Al-Shabaab, with or without Kenyan involvement, in order to grow in the future.
Examiner, November 25, 2012
http://www.examiner.com/article/al-shabaab-launches-terrorist-attack-on-somali-border-town
Daily Nation, November 19, 2012
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Letters/Attacks-should-make-Kenyans-more-determined/-/440806/1624422/-/14perqkz/-/index.html
The Telegraph, November 27, 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/9706696/Al-Qaedas-East-Africa-network-regrouping-and-rearming-in-northern-Somalia.html
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The US has recently started conducting covert drone strikes on terrorists within Somalia, such as Al-Shabaab. Do you think this is an effective method for combatting terrorism?
ReplyDeleteTo hear that Somalia is going through this sort of conflict is very sad. This country seems to be going through a lot considering they have so much international aid coming their way because of famine and drought. They are not going through an easy time in their struggle to become a stable nation and now with new terrorism in the way, they are set back even more. Is there anything being done by any other country besides the US to stop these attacks from becoming an even bigger issue? I am curious to hear what Somalia has planned to deal with the current problem in their country. Are they just going to rely on international support? I am interested to see what happens in regards to this issue.
ReplyDeleteStephen, I think the drone method is effective at combatting terrorism, but at what cost? It kills more innocent civilians than it does terrorists. Elizabeth, I am originally from Somalia and I agree that it is very sad. Like we were discussing in class, the foreign aid there just creates a dependency. It doesn't really stimulate economic growth. No one is really doing anything from the international community to fight the terrorist group.
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ReplyDeleteIt is obvious at this point that Al-Shabaab is a serious terrorist threat that needs international attention and solutions. East Africa is already being plagued with an immense amount of issues from corrupt governments to resource conflicts. Adding a stream of terrorism to this sector is not what this region of Africa needed. Another important concept brought up in the article is that although the country seems to becoming increasingly stable violence in the country will never allow for complete stability of the country. In order for Somalia to continue its upward trend towards stability Al-Shabaab needs to be eliminated as the terrorist threat at all costs.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the drone method is effective at combatting terrorism. One, like Muna said many innocent civilians die. Two, most of the world does not like that the US uses drones. I think the US using drones opens the gate for other countries to use drones which the US would not like. In relation to aid, it is hard to stimulate an economy when there is no real central government in Somalia.
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