Schneeberg-Somalia+Story

Home

A Major Problem in Somalia; the Government By: Neil Schneeberg

A recent report titled; "You Don't Know Who to Blame" by Human Rights Watch reveals that all sides in the Somali conflict are to blame for civilian casualties and human rights abuses including the militant Islamic group Al Shabab and the U.S. backed Transitional Government (TGF). Over 1,000 civilians have been killed due to increased violence since 2010. Tens of thousands more have been displaced and are refugees. Somalis in Al-Shabab controlled areas report public beheadings and floggings, the imposing of strict laws governing nearly every aspect of social life, as well as humanitarian aid being withheld from citizens. The TGF has been accused of arbitrary and indiscriminate arrests, unlawful detentions, and military attacks that seemingly take no heed of civilian casualties. The TGF has also scaled back the ability of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor abuses in land under its control. The TGF depends entirely on donations from the international community. The United States, European Union, and other countries have given tens of millions of dollars worth of arms and political support to the TGF. In early 2011 TGF forces and allied militias began to launch an offensive in the capital of Mogadishu. In the past the capital has been the site of bloody conflict, and new ground is almost never gained by either side. A witness told Human Rights Watch "…schools and health centers were destroyed…by both sides. Both sides are using the public for shielding them." Another Somali from Mogadishu explains "Both sides don't spare the public…AMISON (TGF aligned) are the ones who are killing people a lot. The TGF and AMISON don't care whether there are civilians…" The conflict in Somalia is a personal one for the ones bearing the brunt of the fighting: "Sometimes it happens that the person you had breakfast with in the morning is killed by mortars in the afternoon. This has happened to me. Sometimes you know who killed people…"

[|Somaliapicture.jpg]