Ismail D. Osman
Wednesday - December 22, 2021
On Wednesday December 15, the United
States Senate passed House Resolution 4350, the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, by a vote of
88-11. Title LXIV, Section 6472 of this
Act pertains to the “Strategy and reporting related to United States engagement
in Somalia.” Effectively this provision
requires the United States State Department and Department of Defense to
formulate a new policy and approach as it relates to United States engagement
in Somalia.
In addition, the NDAA requires that
within ninety (90) days, the United States Secretary of State and the United
States Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development, shall develop and submit
this plan and it shall include a “strategy for advancing United States
diplomatic, humanitarian, development, counterterrorism, and regional security
priorities in Somalia” as well as a “detailed outline of United States national
security interests and policy objectives in Somalia.”
However,
US Senator James Risch, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, recently introduced an amendment to the NDAA to establish a security and defense partnership
between the United States and Somaliland, a clear violation of Somalia's
sovereignty and a political power play to try and lessen Somalia’s authority in
the region, ultimately to the detriment of both the United States and to
democracies around the world.
In the last ten years or so, efforts by
international organizations (like, the United Nations, the African Union and
the United States) to address the political uncertainty and instability
within the Horn of Africa region have been, at best, uncoordinated and, at
worst, disjointed and illogical. If the
NDAA (including
the amendment proposed by Senator Risch) successfully passes through
Congress, the pattern of imprudence will continue, as superpowers like Russia
and China will look to take advantage of the division created in Somalia as a
result of the NDAA blunders.
The
battle for geographic dominance in the Horn of Africa continues to fuel
instability in an already volatile region. It has once again
thrust Somalia into the geopolitical spotlight as a focal point of strategic
and political importance. And, because
of its geographic positioning, the stability of this region is dependent upon
the stability of Somalia.
And stability won’t come easy as world
powers continue to deliberately and aggressively assert themselves in the
area. China has built one of its largest
military bases abroad in Djibouti.
Russia is establishing itself as one of the region’s largest arms
dealers and is looking at building a base on the Red Sea in order to realize
its aspirations in the Middle East.
The fact is that the passage of the NDAA
as proposed will almost certainly result in just another failed attempt at
diplomatic policy engagement (and a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money)
unless it includes provisions to address the real problems facing Somalia. And, of course, the United States continues
to pitch itself as a positive alternative, but while the words of the United
States seem to indicate a vested interest in strengthening democratic
institutions, improving stability and security, and delivering services for the
Somali people, the actions (like those of Senator James Risch) unfortunately,
do not.
Any
strategic policy plan must include initiatives to repair the fractured
political relationship Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the Federal
Member States (FMS), including
the implementation of a national security strategy in order to help stabilize
and strengthen national security institutions.
If the NDAA passes as-is, Somalia will have no other option but to
partner with Russia and China in order to maintain economic relevance. This Act must assure that no foreign
influence persuades policy development and legislative progress in Somalia.
In addition, attention must be paid to
the ongoing issues of political injustice, impunity, and corruption by
instituting measures designed to hold those involved in political exploitation and
human rights abuses accountable for actions that undermine state and
international institutions. Including,
but certainly not limited to, the illegal financial assistance and financial
contributions to Somali officials and institutions from the state of Qatar.
Let’s be perfectly clear. The United States has a record of intervening
in Somalia political matters with a decidedly appalling impact, siding with former
NISA head Fahad Yasin and President Farmajo over Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein
Roble which effectively ended the
investigation into kidnapping and murder of National Intelligence and Security
Agency (NISA) agent Ikran Tahlil Farah. This cannot be allowed to happen again, so we
must assure that the NDAA closes the gaps that allow unfair and corrupt
governmental actions in Somalia. And, of
course, the NDAA must reject any provisions that result in a weakening of
Somalia autonomy and influence in the region.
It’s time to get on the right side of
history. It’s time the people know what
is going on. It’s time, once and for
all, to develop a long term political and economic strategy that favors the
people over the corrupt politicians.
Ismail
D. Osman: Former Deputy Director of Somalia National Intelligence &
Security Agency (NISA) - Writes in Somalia, Horn of Africa Security and
Geopolitical focusing on governance and security. You can reach him [email protected] @osmando