Causecast

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer

For nearly 20 years, the sovereign state of Somalia has existed without a permanent government. No government equals decades of chaos. In other words – total lawlessness. Anarchy at it’s finest. Desperate people, with no viable way to support themselves, become angry at their situation and resort to violence in order to survive. In Somalia, the fight for survival erases any sense of ethical behavior, ultimately creating an environment in which abuse of basic human rights is commonplace.

Somalia’s government took a major blow in 1991 when then President Mohamed Siad Barre was forced from office following major conflict between clan factions. The coup mounted on the government’s inability to address issues of famine and rampant disease. Since the 1991 collapse, Somalia has made 14 attempts at re-establishing a permanent government, the most recent failing with the resignation of President Abdullahi Yusuf in 2008. In 2009, a transitional government was established with the Parliamentary appointment of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad.

More than one million people have died as a result of Somalia’s instability. The failed attempts of the the global community to address the humanitarian issues of failing infrastructure, food shortage and other issues associated with poverty have led many Somalis to turn to alternative methods of income. Piracy.

While Somalia’s government remains weak and relatively ineffective, there are dedicated individuals committed to bringing pirates and other criminals to justice and re-establishing order in the country. This week, a respected Somali judge, Sheikh Mohamed Abdi Aware lost his life when he was gunned down by criminals in retaliation for his sentencing of four Somali pirates to 15 years in prison for their crimes of terrorism.

In his career, Sheikh Aware sentenced hundreds of human traffickers, pirates and other organized criminals to long prison sentences. Aware’s commitment to justice is an rare in a country where corruption and bribery are rampant. Aware’s stand against government corruption was a sign of hope for Somalia to many human rights activists.

Piracy in Somalia is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar black market that is fueled by violence and the vulnerability of the unprotected waters bordering Somalia’s coastline. International vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden face grave danger of attack from Somali pirate terrorists where waters are unregulated by local government.

Experts suggest that addressing the humanitarian crisis in Somalia is the best approach to thwarting the pressing threat of piracy and instability. To add to the chaos of lawlessness, famine leaves nearly half of Somalia’s population in extreme poverty and suffering from chronic hunger.

The loss of Sheikh Aware is tragic to the human rights efforts in Somalia. However, hope is not lost. While world governments remain at a loss at what to do with Somalia, international nonprofits work tirelessly to provide basic aid and protect the human rights of Somalia’s vulnerable citizens.

• Oxfam offers hot meals daily to 60,000 hungry Somalis who would otherwise face deadly consequences of malnourishment. The organization has also worked to repair water pumps providing clean water to more than 150,000 people.

• Human Rights Watch has released an extensive report on the human rights violations suffered by Somalis and is working to pressure the transitional government to address the ongoing abuses.

• World Vision has been present in Somalia since 1992 providing humanitarian services including water, education and sustainable jobs to more than half a million Somalis.

For information on other organizations (and there are LOTS of them) working to protect the rights of the people of Somalia and for ways you can get involved, check out the Somalia NGO Consortium.

Photo by Mate 1st Class Robert R. McRill, flickr.