By A A M
The fighting in Galkayo in Central Somalia on the 28th of November has killed scores of civilians and caused thousands to flee from their homes. Galkayo which has seen its fair share of conflict over the past 24 years, has always managed to keep the peace based on local agreement that held since 1993.
But the new politics in Mogadishu led by Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud is actively and intentionally seeking to destabilize Galkayo. By installing his key ally and his former Minister of security, Abdikarim Guled to head a regional anomaly, Galmudug, which does not enjoy constitutional basis or local legitimacy, the President made his intentions very clear. Instead of building his local legitimacy, Abdikarim Guled on the other hand, was supplied with money, Military Material and instructions from Mogadishu that caused to shatter the peace in the morning of the 22nd of November when Galmudug forces indiscriminately fired on road construction workers in North Galkayo and later shelled the town with mortar rounds.
But the most sinister of this whole affair, is the direct involvement of the United Nations in these civilian killings. The Security Council as it is well known, has authorized partial lifting of arms sanctions which released huge amount of military material in the hands of narrow clan based sections of the Federal Government of Somalia under the control of President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud alone.
Paragraph 2 of resolution 2142 (2014) states : “that the arms embargo on Somalia shall not apply to deliveries of weapons, ammunition or military equipment or the provision of advice, assistance or training, intended solely for the development of the Security Forces of the FGS”
Under normal circumstances, it is proper to help Somalia to develop a professional security forces loyal to the nation. But Somalia is not now under normal conditions. It is under a President that has no qualms whatsoever to arm and support his narrow clan interest using the national and international resources. What the Security Council then failed to do was to put in place proper mechanisms to ensure that such arms will be used to further peace and security in Somalia alone and if it did it has spectacularly failed.
Despite warnings from the Somalia Eretria Monitoring Group that the distribution of “Military Material” is being misappropriated, or that the standard of reporting on the composition, strength and structure of Federal Government security forces “continues to fall far short of the Council’s requirements”, the Security Council renewed the partial lifting once more as late as in October 2015.
The actions of the Security Council in Somalia has directly armed clan militias that have since caused civilian killings and human rights abuses across Somalia of which the shelling of civilians with UN provided mortar rounds in Galkayo was only the latest.
What is required now is;
- the immediate cessation of hostilities in Galkayo and empowering local leaders to enact the local peace agreement that kept the peace since 1993.
- President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Galmudug should get out of Galkayo business and instead focus on legitimizing Galmudug itself (both constitutionally and local legitimacy in the people it meant to rule in Galgadud region).
- The UN should put a stringent and strict as well as accountable process to ensure that no national and international resources will be used to further clan interests and destabilize peaceful areas of Somalia.
Failing to do that, the Security Council should reinstate its sanctions as long as there is no legitimate leadership of the security sector in Somalia.