The warlords carry primary responsibility for the agony of the Somali people. And since then have been undermining all efforts to pacify the country or to set up an effective national government. Their armed militias have murdered hundreds of thousands of Somalis and forced more than a million into exile.
The warlords have neither an ideology nor a political agenda they are opposed to the creation of effective central or provincial governments, because of the danger such authority would pose for their illegitimate businesses. They have carved out are used as a base for the exploitation of confiscated properties, plantations, ports and airports, they are war mongers as well as for drug trafficking, the issuance of fishing licenses for foreign concerns and for arms trade.
They establish contacts with foreign companies for banana exports, coal and fishing licenses. They promote the image of the warlords to the outside world as “faction leaders” or “clan elders,” and generally put their racketeering activities in a positive light. Then there are the legions of wannabe presidents. Some of these have already anointed themselves — at present, between Mogadishu and the self-declared states of Puntland, Somaliland, Galmudug, Jubaland and South West, there are no less than five presidents and several prime ministers.
The odds of this happening are long unless they get a helping hand from other countries, especially their neighbours, as well as from Europe and the United States. Such assistance should no longer be in the form of futile reconciliation conferences, but should focus on criminal prosecution, sanctions and isolation of those responsible for the unending chaos and conflict in Somalia. Die-hard warlords will never reconcile or disarm unless forced to.
In the absence of a credible legal system in Somalia, only coercive measures by the international community could help bring to an end their criminal and murderous enterprises. The freezing of the warlords’ ill-gotten assets, travel bans on them and their families, sanctions on foreign corporations doing business with them and the establishment of an international commission of inquiry on massacres and mass murders committed by them and their armed thugs would go a long way to pave the way for a real peace in Somalia.
Warlords breeds not only domestic terrorism and mayhem, but can provide a useful cover for international terrorist activities.
The sooner the Somali people are helped to get rid of warlordism, the faster another potential safe haven for terrorists will have been removed from the map. They are still in the government they influence the election outcome and hold several political position, they control
the Somali economy, telecommunication, religion sector and all private
sectors.
Why do the World Bank and IMF promote debt relief for a country whose political leaders thrive on corruption, anarchy, violence and chaos
Furthermore where the missing millions for Somalia are? My question is shouldn’t we prosecute the warlords for crimes against humanity instead of rewarding them more money?
