SKYMUN VIII Chair Report Committee : Security Council Issue : Situation in Somalia Student Officer : Glenn Lee, Assistant President 1. Introduction Historical Background: The dire situation of the increasingly anarchist Somali region lies in the multiple power struggles. Somalia has been in an almost anarchist state for the past three decades and has had multiple power struggles between governments, terrorist groups, and international coalitions attempting to fill the power vacuum since the beginning of the Somalian Civil War. This has led to perpetual violence, massive displacement, and an overall unstable region. Ever since the independence of Somali, its leadership had been weak and oppressive. In 1969 after a coup by the Somalian army, the leadership position was handed over to General Mohamed Siad Barre. Under Barre, the Somalian government dissolved the parliament, Supreme Court, and the constitution, effectively beginning a dictatorship. In April of 1978, after a failed coup by disgruntled members of the Majeerateen clan, Barre became increasingly aggressive and brutal. Barre utilized the coup attempt to kill thousands of Majeerateen members who were unaffiliated to the. Under the guise of a coup backlash, he targeted everyone and used them as an excuse to kill, and worked to continue to weaken them as he ruled. He closed schools, hospitals and destroyed water reservoirs leading to thousands dead and more than 150,000 animals of the Majeerateen clan killed. Unrest and displeasure between many clans toward the government meant harsher punishments and more opposition. Eventually, the Somali National Movement (SNM) was formed by people in the Isaaq clan, who were based in London. They used guerilla war tactics to target Baree and his men effectively, and harnessed soldiers from the Isaaq clan. In retaliation, the government planned to mass murder thousands of innocent civilians wherever the SNM went, and began an “ethinic cleansing” of the Isaaq people. Every attack by the SNM meant bombings and killings of any person and the Isaaq clan. They destroyed the second and third largest cities in Somalia, and left upwards of 400,000 people displaced, killing more than 50,000 in the clan conflict. By the 1990s, the Somalian economy was in terrible shape with banks in shambles, and black markets in cities acting as banks. The military upped their tactics to conduct regular “night sweeps'' leading to disappearances of people. Eventually, all this came together and militans overthrew Barre and started the civil war. The Somalian Civil War has left Somalia unstable and inhabitable in most areas which led to the instability. The clan system of Somalia was one of the big reasons why the power vacuum was not filled. The clans could not come together and reach an agreement, leading to further fighting. Hussein Warsame, a professor at Calgary University in Canada observed that “many clans would burn (aid) to prevent it from falling into the hands of its rivals.” There was no government until 2006, and the law and order was mostly religious and between clans. Statistics from the World Factbook from the CIA found that only “21% of the population had access to safe drinking water,” which is clearly a problem if people are not able to meet a basic human need and a right. Although groups such as the United Somali Congress, which toppled the previous Barre government, attempted to take control of Somalia, infighting and the lack of military might meant that they could not find much progress. Groups would fight one another and take territory, only for it to be taken by another group in the future. No group could hold solid territory for extended periods of time. In such cases, after 4 months of intense fighting, a ceasefire was brokered between two groups because neither group could beat the other and control the city. In 1992, the United Nations stepped in to provide humanitarian aid and created the United Nations Operation in Somalia I and subsequently UNOSOM II. They successfully brokered peace deals, opened trade, and attempted to end some clan fighting. However, some did not like the presence of the U.N, and some local militias fought peacekeepers in multiple battles. This led to the U.N completely withdrawing in 1995. The Barre government and the beginning of the civil war affects Somalia's overall stability to this day. The instability of the Somalia Civil War has left the country in a state of rebuild and constant struggle. Ever since the United Nations Operation in Somalia 2 ended, there have been various conflicts and struggles for power. The country shuffled through countless governments starting from the Transitional National Government which ran from 2000-2004, then the Transitional Federal Government from 2004-2012, which eventually led to the now utilized, Federal Government of Somalia. The 2012 election for the Federal Government of Somalia was the first presidential election since 1967, and was the first formal parliament elected in over 20 years, showing the progress needed to be made in the conflict-torn country. Current Issues and Problems Faced: We of the biggest problems faced is the clan system in Somalia. 4 major clans (Darod, Hawiye, Isaaq, Dir) virtually run Somalia as they hold almost all of the power in the country. This is a unique aspect of the country, and they have been around since the conception and independence of Somalia, leading them to hold a lot of power. Even after Somalia was in an almost anarchist state, the clan system is one that helped Somalia maintain some societal control. However, the quality of life was drastically reduced because of the conflicts, and the divisions between the clans caused bloodshed and led to an entire civil war. Even now in 2021, the clan system in Somalia is leading to political instability, and has frozen the country. Because the groups were unable to reach a compromise on how to run the elections that were scheduled for February 8, 2021, they are without a current President, and are still struggling to decide on how to run the country. Furthermore, the clan system made it impossible for Somalia to have a one person-one party vote, and the country must vote using an indirect system with representatives and elders from different clans choosing their preferred President. The clan system has also created a multitude of complicated rules that were negotiated upon, then refused to sign, leading to a prolonged impasse for a multitude of months. The clan system is a major blockade in solving the problem in Somalia, but one that needs to be dealt with carefully, and cannot be ignored, because the 4 major clans hold the majority of the power in the country. Another problem are the opposition groups and terrorism in Somalia. Groups such as the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and Al-Shabaab are key problem areas in trying to solve the crisis and ongoing deaths in Somalia. The ICU rose to power by promising freedom and was able to take large chunks of land, including the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. However, when the ICU were defeated and driven out of Mogadishu, they split up into different groups, leading to a more radical and dangerous group. Al-Shabaab is the radical wing, and they continue to have many positions in the rural areas of Somalia, due to their power. They have an adeuqate military supply, and militants, leading them to continue to conduct suicide bombings and attacks on Somalian land. Even as the United States continues amping up its drone attacks killing hundreds of soldiers, recently a Somalian base “was struck by car bombs and gunfire… killing many soldiers.” They have toned down their attacks in recent years, but still have been active in the region, with a recent hotel car bombing attack that killed 9 and injured countless others. Furthermore, because of the unstable nature of the country, corruption is a high risk in the country, although steps have been taken to reduce this. As a United States State Department report in 2015 highlighted, courts are susceptible to influence by politicians, and are often ignored, in lieu of clan judgements or wishes. Other institutions such as the important Somali National Army has been at center stage regarding corruption, and the United States cut off aid to it, due to concerns about the nature of the military. Supplies sent were mismanaged, and often couldn’t be accounted for, leading to concerns about aid stealing and hoarding. A United States official reported that they “did not find the expected large quantities of food at any location [and that] there was no evidence of consumption (except at two bases),” leading many to believe that there were deep problems within the ranks of the military. Even with millions of dollars in supplies, food, and ammunition, soldiers barely had weapons, and proper equipment sparking worries about terrorist groups taking such supplies. Another major issue highlighted in this chair report is the general humanitarian crisis inside Somalia. There are an estimated 2.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs), per estimates from Human Rights Watch, as a result of the fighting in the country. They also noted 1,154 civilian casualties in the last year, a majority due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by Al-Shabab and other terrorist groups. Furthermore, statistics from last year indicate that almost one million children are at risk of being intensely malnourished, which would mean a generation of starving and undeveloped children, leading to greater problems in the region. This is another area in which Somalia is lacking and needs assistance to alleviate many of the pains. As a result of the high internally displaced people in Somalia, women and girls, especially face a higher risk of danger.