Somalia

[OGETW1]

Discuss the situation in Somalia and what you think should be done. Would you support an intervention?

In case you don't what is happening in Somalia, just know that there is a militia called al Shabbab, which is linked to al Qaeda, and almost could merge with each other soon. As of today, May 22nd 2010, the al Shabaab have advanced towards the presidential palace. I'm starting to wonder if the collapse of the Somali government is imminent.

[Ace_General]

They havent had a functioning government for the past 20 years and the UN backed so called Legitimate government is only effective within the range of the African Union's Artillery

[Armenum]

Somalia is a country of gangs and criminals. It's not even country, I don't think they even have a legitimate government. So it's just a piece of land with gangs. In my opinion, why bother? Let them sort their country out for once.

[Magno]

IF the developed world attempts to get involved by military means then you will create an Iraq in Africa so I recommend that you destroy them like any other criminal organization or gang problem; by using covert intelligence agencies and special forces. Another idea would be for the UN to recognize these gangs as legitimate and give them a piece of the country to do as they please without the fear or threat of the UN at their back.

[Babur]

I'm starting to wonder if the collapse of the Somali government is imminent.

I don't think there is any government to collapse in the first place

[Gromovnik]

nothing should be done. It's up to Somali people.

[Dr Zoidberg]

Problem Solved.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Angrychris]

If you treat them like any other criminal organization then that would require more man power, money, and prosecution than military intervention would take.

[Space Wolves]

Throw enough aid and food shipments that there would be enough for it to be shared in Somalia? Again that'd take forever and not worth the cost. So, i'm waiting for some rich billionaire to hire his own army and take over Somalia.

[Tiberios]

Well personally I think the UN should recognize Somaliland as independent. It's the only functioning part of Somalia. The rest is in chaos.

[Babur]

So, i'm waiting for some rich billionaire to hire his own army and take over Somalia.

:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

he could outsource jobs there

[Vermelho_Steele]

Carpet bombing, daisy cutters, swamrs of drones, a shower of nukes and mass artillery strikes are needed.

[uzi716]

How about we try cleaning up the fishing areas that was these peoples livelihood for hundreds of years, then maybe they wont be pirates and thugs...

[Space Wolves]

How about we try cleaning up the fishing areas that was these peoples livelihood for hundreds of years, then maybe they wont be pirates and thugs...

You are assuming of course they first don't hijack the boats we sent to clean up the fishing areas.

[Gromovnik]

How about we try cleaning up the fishing areas that was these peoples livelihood for hundreds of years, then maybe they wont be pirates and thugs...

hanging and shooting the pirates is much more cheaper, quicker and efficient. Not to mention fun.

[Tajir]

Non-intervention would definitely be a good thing. In the past 20 years, whenever one faction was about to achieve victory, an outside group intervened and recreated the balance.

Somalia is at a place right now that Afghanistan was in 1994. The civil war is nearing its end. Clan militias do not exist anymore, in their place today are regional administrations, the transitional government & its supporters, and their Islamist rivals.

The southern half of Somalia belongs to Al-Shabaab, the chief Islamist group, and about 70% of the Somali population falls under their jurisdiction, including about 80% of the capital. Somalis in those southern regions have turned over their weapons to Al-Shabaab and entrust them with their security, which has drastically improved, including a marked improvement in infrastructure, commerce and quality of life.

The only thing standing between Al-Shabaab and their domination is...you guessed it, another outside group, the African Union troops, 8,000 in total in Mogadishu right now and they're just shelling the city whenever Al-Shabaab approaches the presidential compound. AU is basically maintaining a dead government at the moment. Al-Shabaab has also returned properties to people who were forced out during the civil war, it looks like they're there to stay. People are tired of war and will back anyone who is willing to do what the government won't, and in Somalia the government is just a way for opportunists to receive a paycheck from the UN. As for piracy, its been stamped out before by Islamists in Mogadishu in 2006, and they'll be prosecuted again by these Islamists if they fall into each others' paths. So there you have it, this is the future of Somalia, a future Islamist state; AU will run out of money soon and retreat, and within a year you'll have a new Taliban-style state in Africa.

[hellheaven1987]

and within a year you'll have a new Taliban-style state in Africa.

Which is why everyone is trying to stop that happen. Taliban in the Horn of Africa and ready to block Suez Channel?? That is more crazy than Yemen at all.

[Tajir]

Which is why everyone is trying to stop that happen. Taliban in the Horn of Africa and ready to block Suez Channel?? That is more crazy than Yemen at all.

If the Int'l community or Somalia's neighbors genuinely wanted to stop this they'd have given real support to a viable gov't in Somalia, or split the country, or at least stop backing 100 factions at the same time.

You can't have anything with Somalia; its a Muslim state and an ethnic-nationalist setup. Somalis, no matter how pro-Western and democratic regime they've had in the past or will have in the future, have done and will always have desires to create an ethnic Somali super-state in the Horn and they will always try to marginalize their Christian rivals in Kenya and especially Ethiopia. The world has purposely kept Somalia in anarchy to avoid a strong central state precisely to keep the hornet occupied and unable to act out its desires.

You just can't have it all with Somalia; whenever there has ever been a powerful central leader in Somalia, the country's neighbors have had hell to pay. The best the int'l community can do is keep the country in anarchy for the sake of their neighbors, but even that has backfired and gave birth to extremism.

For Somalia, I am truly mind-boggled, there is no solution but nuking, its a thorn to somebody even in its best days.......

[removeduser_052420]

I heard that the leader of one of Somalia's leading Islamist groups is a renegade Pakistani General

Oh, and I think it's best for the world to leave Somalia alone, so it can solve it's own problems. Intervention hasn't worked too well with Somalia.

[Ace_General]

I have the feeling that before a certain faction gains supremacy, much less a Islamist and AQ backed or friendly were gonna have unconfrimed reports of Drone strikes and "Black helicopters with white men" coming out of Somalia

I heard this summer their was a delta force Strike/extraction on some Pirate leaders