Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said the move is a necessary step toward establishing U.S. policy there.
By Brady Averill, Star Tribune
Thursday, May 17, 2007
 |
| John Yate, especial envoy to Somalia |
The United States has not had an ambassador to Somalia since 1991 when the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu was evacuated; it hasn't had any presence in the war-plagued African nation for more than 10 years.
But that changes with the appointment Yates, who now coordinates Somalia policy out of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. He will work with representatives of Somalia's transitional federal government and key groups to help establish a stable government after more than 14 years of lawlessness.
Coleman and former Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., had pressed for increased support for the country for years. Minnesota has a significant Somali population, the largest in the United States.
Coleman first called for a presence in Somalia in December 2005. He wrote last month to Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, calling for more humanitarian aid and a special envoy.
"Ultimately, the pervasive political instability in Somalia can only be solved through reconciliation and progress towards an inclusive democratic government. This will require a high level of engagement by U.S. diplomats, which I personally believe would be more feasible through the appointment of a Special Envoy for Somalia," Coleman wrote.
Thursday's appointment came just one day after reports of a bomb that killed four Ugandan peacekeepers in Mogadishu.
Too little, too late?
Ahmed I. Samatar, dean of International Studies and Programming at Macalester College in St. Paul, said the appointment comes "very, very late."
Samatar said that, for the United States to have any credibility in Somalia, it must: undo the damage caused by its support of the presence of Ethiopian troops, which arrived in December in Somalia; work with the current transitional government, and talk to and identify civic communities who want to go beyond "warlord politics."
He said the United States needs a more sophisticated understanding of Somalia.
Hassan Mohamud, president of the Somali Institute for Peace and Justice in Minneapolis, shared Samatar's view on the presence of Ethiopian forces in Somalia. He said they must leave the country without conditions.
Mohamud suggested that Yates work with Coleman, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., to review U.S. foreign policy in Somalia.
Of the appointment, he said, "It might be too little too late, but it's a good gesture, which we must appreciate."
The Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul was encouraged by the appointment of an envoy. Omar Jamal, the center's executive director, said that the appointment is the first step and that he hopes eventually there will be a U.S. ambassador to Somalia again.
Brady Averill is a correspondent in the Star Tribune Washington Bureau: 202-383-0015.
Brady Averill • [email protected]
Source: Star Tribune, May 17, 2007