Topic > Somalia: regime, Al-Shabab and piracy

Index IntroductionMistreatment by the regime and allied forcesAbuse by Al-ShababAbuse against childrenDisplacement and access to humanitarian assistanceSexual violenceFreedom of expressionSomalilandEconomic instability in SomaliaHumanitarian challenges and social instability in SomaliaThreat to security for the entire worldUnited Kingdom's position towards SomaliaConclusionIntroductionFormed in 1960 from a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia descended into anarchy following the coup d'état by President Siad Barre's military government in 1991 As conflicting commanders tore the country into clan-based fiefdoms, an internationally supported unity government formed in 2000 battled to establish control, and the two relatively quiet northern regions of Somaliland and Puntland fell apart. they are substantially separate. Antipathy, insecurity, lack of state protection and frequent humanitarian disasters had a worrying impact on Somali civilians in 2018. The number of internally displaced people, many of whom live without assistance and at risk of serious abuse, reached around 2.7 million. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Mistreatment by regime and allied forces Security forces unlawfully killed and injured civilians during land disputes, control of checkpoints, and disarmament operations, particularly in Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle. Dozens of government and security officials and former election delegates have been murdered; Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for some of the killings. Intelligence organizations at the federal level, in Puntland and Jubaland, indiscriminately arrested and detained many people for prolonged periods without charge or access to legal or family counsel. Somali authorities and Somalia's international partners have committed to building an accountable national security sector, but the federal government has failed to pass legislation clarifying the intelligence agency's mandate. While military prosecutors have turned over to civilian judges some documents ensnaring individuals who limit security, military courts proceed to take on a wide range of cases and litigants, including terrorism-related crimes, in proceedings that fall short of reasonable procedural measures worldwide. According to media and United Nations reports, the government carried out at least four executions of security force members in 2018 primarily accused of killing other security force members. Hostilities between Somaliland and Puntland in the disputed Sool border region have led to armed clashes, including in January when Somaliland took control of the key town of Tukaraq. The UN said the battle displaced 12,500 civilians. There is no real decision-making power, nor are there many of the other characteristics generally associated with a sovereign state. This no longer means, however, that entire anarchy existed. Instead, existing spiritual and social/familial (clan-based) systems attempted to fill some distance left by the collapse of government. For example, Qur'anic schools took on a social purpose similar to their religious role, while a form of sharia-based Islamic courts evolved until 1991 to become the main judicial form. This gave rise to the ICU, which, during 2006, took or consolidated control of the United States of America from the incompetent, opportunistic andbuilt externally. The ICU's predominant petition was to bring balance and prevention to the regions under its control, including dealing with the reopening of the Mogadishu Global Airport, which had been closed after the UN withdrawal in 1995. Civilians were taken targeted or suffered indiscriminate attacks during clan violence, particularly in Cell Afweeyn in the Sanaagregion, Galgaduud and Hiraan. In July, media reported that Kenyan forces deployed outside AMISOM forces had raped three women and two girls in the town of Belet-Hawo, along the border with Kenya. In a December 2017 report, the United Nations highlighted the lack of transparency in AMISOM investigations and prosecutions and expressed concern about the lack of formal efforts to protect victims and witnesses from retaliation. Abuses by Al-ShababAl-Shabab has committed serious abuses, including the forced recruitment of youth and adults; arbitrary, punitive executions of those accused of spying for overseas authorities and forces; and extort “fees” for threats. Al-Shabab attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, the use of improvised explosive devices, suicide bombings and bombings in Mogadishu have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries. Al-Shabab continues to ban most non-governmental organizations and all United Nations agencies from working in areas under its control. The organization proceeded to blockade government-controlled cities and attacked civilians who broke the blockades, destroying goods and vehicles. Abuse against children All Somali events during the war have seen extreme abuse against children, consisting of killing, maiming, recruitment and use in military operations. Al-Shabab pursued an aggressive child recruitment campaign with retaliation against communities that refused to care for children, mainly in Galmudug and the southwestern state. As a result, scores of children, many of them unaccompanied, have fled their homes to escape. According to the United Nations, in July citizens of Xaradheere, a location that has repeatedly been under pressure to supply youth to Al-Shabab, fought back, resulting in deaths and significant civilian displacement. On January 18, Somali and US Navy forces rescued 36 youths from an Al-Shabab-run camp in Middle Shabelle. They were handed over to the United Nations for rehabilitation a week later. Somali authorities, particularly the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), have illegally detained and, in some cases, prosecuted in military courts, young men with alleged links to Al-Shabab. On appeal, Puntland judges reduced, but did not overturn, prison sentences imposed in 2016 based on military court records against 40 children who fought for Al-Shabab. the United Nations, which faces serious abuses, including indiscriminate killings, forced evictions, sexual violence and limited access to basic services. According to aid workers, more than 204,000 people were forcibly evicted, including by government forces, in the first eight months of 2018, mostly in Mogadishu and the Bay Area. In December 2017, security forces demolished dozens of abandoned settlements, including humanitarian infrastructure. , without sufficient caution or providing residents with alternative settlements, leaving approximately 30,000 people homeless. Benadir's local government investigated the evictions and in April suggested how to address forced evictions, but has made no push to take responsibility. Humane societies had toaddress difficult and critical situations to gain access to populations at risk due to insecurity, restrictions imposed by the use of events in conflict, illegal checkpoints and extortion. Targeted attacks against resource workers persist. On 2 May, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff member was abducted from an ICRC residence in Mogadishu; it had no longer been released at the time of this writing. Sexual violence Displaced girls and women remain at particular risk of sexual and gender-based violence from armed men, such as government infantrymen and members of the armed forces, and civilians. Positively, federal authorities and some local authorities have adopted measures and laws to improve their ability to prosecute sexual violence. In May 2018, the federal government passed a modern sexual offenses bill; at the time of writing the bill is being examined by parliament. Impact and implementation, including the Puntland Sexual Offenses Bill 2016, have been limited. Somalia's penal code, currently under revision, classifies sexual violence as a "crime against modesty and sexual honor" rather than a violation of physical integrity, punishes homosexual relations and imposes criminal sanctions for speech considered offensive in towards the authorities. Freedom of expression Targeted attacks on the media, including harassment and arbitrary detention, continued. Somali authorities rarely investigate cases of killings or attacks on journalists. On July 26, a police officer shot dead Abdirizak Kasim Iman, a cameraman for a private television station, at a checkpoint in Mogadishu. According to the UN, Somali police have launched an investigation, however, at the time of writing no arrests have been made. Somaliland In December 2017, Muse Bihi Abdi was sworn in as President of Somaliland. Somaliland authorities have arbitrarily arrested numerous journalists and critics, targeting people who have spoken out on "controversial issues", in particular ongoing border tensions with Puntland and team spirit with Somalia. In April, Naima Ahmed Ibrahim, a famous poet; Mohamed Kayse Mohamud, a blogger; and Boqor Osman Aw-Mohamud, an outspoken conventional elder, were convicted under vague and overly broad criminal provisions for public criticism of government laws and public officials. Police officials and judges violated due process rights during their detention and trials. All three subsequently received presidential pardons. According to the independent non-governmental organization Human Rights Center, after the inauguration of the new president of Somaliland, 18 journalists were arrested and five convicted under similar provisions. In 4 cases the prison sentence was later transformed into a fine. On a positive note, Somaliland's House of Representatives in July rejected problematic amendments made by the Upper House to the Rape and Sexual Offenses Bill that described an adult as 15 years of age or older and eliminated the penal obligation of relatives next males for forced marriage. In August, the president signed the bill into law. Economic Instability in Somalia Even economically, Somalia fits the model of a failed kingdom. Somalia is one of the poorest nations in the world, largely due to civil war and the decades-long absence of a functioning national government. There is no agency to collect information on Somalia's monetary performance. There is basically no industry or infrastructure of any kind and,as a result, Somalia relies heavily on budgets from abroad to complement local agricultural actions. Nearly 40% of Somalia's GDP and 65% of its export earnings come from livestock. Somalia has one of the lowest GDPs in the world. The actions of numerous warring factions severely undermine the attempt to standardize the financial machine and provide assistance to Somalis. Furthermore, environmental pressure on Somalia's resources prevents it from fully controlling its monetary capacity and further contributes to its status as a failed country. Humanitarian challenges and social instability in Somalia Somalia can also be considered a failed nation from a social point of view. Human rights violations, indiscriminate attacks and uninformed arrests and detentions in Somalia have produced a humanitarian catastrophe. On 28 March 2008, the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed strong concern about violations of humanitarian and human rights law in Somalia. The trafficking of girls and children for prostitution, as well as slave labor, is not as unusual as piracy and offers every other symptom of organized crime before.Somalia. Furthermore, Somalia is not a celebration of either the Protocols against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, nor the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, both of which are dietary supplements to the United Nations Convention against Trafficking transnational Organized crime. The humanitarian situation in Somalia is both an effect and a reason for the failure of the country's statehood. For example, the Ethiopian intervention has led to further chaos and instability in Somalia, as well as the weakening of humanitarian, political and security conditions within the country. More than 22,000 civilians have been killed in recent years; 1.1 million people are expected to have been displaced and 476,000 Somalis have fled to neighboring nations. Security threat to the entire world Somalia is often considered an archetypal failed state and a safe haven for terrorists. Since longtime Somali leader Siad Barre's coup in 1991, Somalia has felt the failure of international involvement, large-scale refugee flows, and the continued dearth of even rudimentary national offerings and institutions; Somalis live in an environment of predation and widespread lack of trust and deprivation. There is no actual competent authority, nor are there numerous alternative characteristics typically associated with a sovereign state. However, this no longer means that all anarchy existed. Instead, existing (clan-based) spiritual and social/familial structures attempt to bridge the gap left by the collapse of the government. For example, Qur'anic schools have taken on a social purpose in addition to their religious role, while a form of Islamic courts based primarily on sharia evolved in 1991 to become the main judicial structure. This gave rise to the ICU, which, during 2006, seized or consolidated control of the United States from the incompetent, opportunistic, and externally constructed Transitional Federal Government. The ICU's first petition was to bring stability and prevention to the regions under its control, including by addressing the reopening of Mogadishu International Airport, which had been closed due to the UN withdrawal in 1995. It is therefore interesting that The failed state rhetoric that was used for years to provide an explanation for Somalia became actionable only when a unifying Islamic force brought some amount of statehood back to the nation. The Ethiopian and US proceedings against the ICU in December 2006 and January 2007 wereplanned to eliminate the ICU, strengthen the TFG, and eliminate some key US terrorist targets. There is no regulation and order of any kind in Somalia due to the lack of a central government and excessive poverty. As a result, criminal activity is rampant across the nation. While some engage in criminal conduct for essential survival, others have formed a professional criminal enterprise, particularly in the form of piracy. Those who participate in criminal activities typically resist any attempt to establish a stable and stable Somalia because stability hinders their criminal hobbies and long-term interests. Although the international network has not always approached the problem of piracy critically, modern complaints have driven further considerable concern worldwide. It has become clear that unless piracy is tackled, it will spiral out of control, intimidating shipping lanes that carry nearly half of the world's shipping and effectively funding terrorist activity. Somali piracy has been the major problem when considering 1991. However, the incidence of such piracy has increased significantly in the current years both in terms of scope and scale. Since 2008 it has expanded to cover the entire maritime area. Furthermore, pirates have become adept at recognizing ships that are vulnerable due to slow cruising speeds, small crews, poor security, and unnecessary anti-piracy processes. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports that in May 2009 the number of Somali piracy cases, including 114 attempted hijackings and 29 hit-and-run hijackings, had already surpassed all attacks in the previous year. Pirate operations, while becoming increasingly sophisticated and professional enterprises, have become equally violent and ruthless. Since 1990, the total number of pirates has increased, according to some reports, from many to thousands. The UK's position on Somalia Somalis in the UK include British citizens and inhabitants born in or with ancestry from Somalia. The UK is believed to be home to the largest Somali community in Europe, with an estimated 98,000 Somali-born migrants living in the UK in 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics. Some Somali migrants have also been resettled in the UK under the Government's Safe Doors scheme, launched in 2004. Under this scheme, marginalized people classified as particularly vulnerable by the UNHCR are assessed for qualification in the tradition of displaced persons of 1951 from the National Office. If they meet the qualifying criteria, they are then brought to the UK and allowed to leave uncertainly to stay. The first Somali exiles to be resettled arrived in 2010 and between 2010 and 2012, a total of 418 Somalis were resettled in the UK. Numerous more Somalis were resettled under the program in 2013. People whose applications for refuge have been rejected but who remain in the UK constitute one of several categories of unpredictable foreigners. In 2010, in the latest decision, 270 Somalis had their asylum request rejected. The British government takes a firm approach to not expelling failed refuge seekers in Somalia because it believes return is equally dangerous, despite having convincingly returned people to areas of the country that are more stable and open to dialogue, such as Somaliland. In April 2014 the Interior Ministry issued a modern message to its specialists, suggesting that it is currently safe to bring people back to the capital, Mogadishu. Be that as it may, in a test case in June 2014, a judge approved.