Dishika Tasnim Zaman
Civil wars have been waged throughout the human history and every continent on the globe having human inhabitants has experienced this kind of violent uprising. The term “civil war” comes from the Latin phrase “bellum civile”, which translates to “war of or pertaining to civilians”. Civil wars have been fought for a variety of reasons, most common of them is to overthrow or drastically change a sitting government.
In Africa, the relatively higher incidence of war is not due to the ethno-linguistic fragmentation or religious diversity of its countries, but it rather involved high levels of poverty, failed political institutions and economic dependence on natural resources. The periods between the 1980s and the 1990s most of the violent and protracted conflicts took place that led to destabilization of the economy of many countries like— Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and obviously Somalia. Somalis are an ethnic group where majority people speak the Somali language. They are predominantly Sunni Muslim. Around 12.3 million ethnic Somalis are principally concentrated in Somalia. After independence the country had a brief period of democratic governance. A national constitution was adopted in 1961 and a National Assembly created to represent the various clan and sub-clans. After the assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, Major General Mohammed Siad Barre took control of the government in a military coup and took over all executive and legislative power. Afterwards, he stopped the constitution and adopted a system of “scientific socialism”. Using that system Barre nationalized access to land, water, banks, and other productive assets and redistributed them to his clan and supporters. The poor economic policies and corruption brought the country on the edge of collapse by early 1990s. During 1980s, various groups began to resist Barre’s rule. Barre was overthrown by rival clans in 1991. Numerous factions tried to take control of the government but failed and what enhanced was a civil war.
Apart from the political development, external and internal factors like the competition for resources, a repressive state and the colonial legacy fueled the civil war. The clans in Somalia had already been in conflict over resources such as water, livestock and grazing long before gaining independence. As many Somalis moved to urban areas after the independence— the types of
resources that were needed and the means used to obtain them changed as well. Political leaders realized controlling the nation’s resources would allow them to control the state. They started to take control over government resources, recruitment process of civil servants and foreign aid. The politicization of the clan identity, the availability of weapons, the large numbers of unemployed youth, and certain aspects of the Somali culture sanctioned the use of violence and the civil war kept going on.
Civil war in Somalia led displacement of a significant number of people and about 1.4 million Somalis have moved mostly in southern and central areas, around its capital, Mogadishu. Approximately 20% of the population ran away from their homes. In the last 20 years, more than 6, 00,000 Somalis have been officially registered as refugees worldwide. Since 1991, around 350,000 to 1,000,000 Somalis had died due to severe conflict and up to 3,000 AU soldiers had been killed in Somalia over the last few years while fighting the Islamist insurgency.
Comparative to other African countries, Somali remains poor although living standards have slowly improved. In the last two decades, the GDP has risen steadily and the life expectancy of people has increased. Since 1991, the number of newborns surviving their first year has slightly increased.
In Somalia, the economy is based on riverine agriculture and pastoral husbandry. During the internal conflict, agricultural livelihoods had become unsustainable. The Food Security Analysis Unit of Somalia, FSAU, closely monitored livelihoods, and estimates that around 3.25 million people badly need the most basic emergency food aid.
Somalia’s capacity and capability to provide key public goods to its citizens has collapsed due to absence of a functional central government. Somalia’s civil war destroyed the state judiciary, leaving an institutional vacuum. Somalia lacks the ability to effectively control significant portions of its territory. The government is unable and many cases seems unwilling to provide for the essential human needs of its citizens— in terms of security and basic needs like adequate food, source of clean water, health care, and education. In the 56 years since its independence coups, warring clans, civil wars and natural disasters have sunken the hope and dream of Somali democracy. In the recent years, Islamic militant groups like Al-Shabaab have become a threat for
Somalia as well. Recently, the representative for the UN General Secretary in Somalia claims Somalia a fragile state, not a failed one. According to him, the political scenario is changing as he is sensing some optimistic gestures from the conflicting parties. Yet, everything that Somalia needs to stand strong as a state is being affected by both internal and external forces. Considering these facts, Somalia will top in list of the world’s most emblematic failed states.
There was great optimism about Somalia’s political future after its independence. At the time of independence, Somalia’s cultural unity seemed to take an easier path to democracy than those of other African fragile countries. The country’s flag was designed symbolizing the five areas that represent all Somalis, due to a shared language, culture, and religion in the newly formed nation. The situation gradually reversed, and with the fall of Dictator Siad Barre the various groups who fought together against him turned on each other. Somalia has been torn by decades of conflict. The world community is trying to negotiate with various clans in hope of reconciliation and establishing long term peace. Somalia has to face challenges arising from various Islamic terrorist organizations and groups in the coming years. Somalia’s fate now entirely depends on its political actors. A healthy and fully functional democracy through participation and support from the conflicting parties can make a big difference for Somalia in the future.