By: Abdirahman Aynte
The Center for Independent Media
Minneapolis, MN (HOL)- A bill introduced in the Senate aimed at reinvigorating
U.S. involvement in
Somalia is receiving cautiously optimistic reaction from local Somalis.
The legislation, which calls for the nomination of a special U.S. envoy in Somalia for the first time since 1993, is sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN).
Key provisions call for supporting a regional peacekeeping mission in Somalia, providing financial assistance to rebuild government institutions and convening international donor conference.
“As a Senator from Minnesota, which has the largest community of Somalis outside of Somalia, I have heard firsthand from our Somali community about the harsh realities on the ground in their home country,” said Coleman in a statement.
Local Somalis say though they appreciate the spirit of the senators, their proposal is lacking the diplomatic component critical for its success.
“The goodwill of the senators is encouraging,” said Prof. Ahmed Samatar, dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College in St. Paul. “But if they are serious about Somalia they should work toward serious diplomatic solution to the crisis.”
That would entail “reinventing a new Somali government… since the current one has no legitimacy for its dominated and conceived by warlords and Ethiopia,” say Samatar.
Somalis say their country is increasingly looking like Iraq. In January, Ethiopian forces, getting U.S. military air support, drove out the Union of Islamic Courts, who stabilized Southern Somalia during their six month tenure. The Western-backed government, plagued by internal crisis, is trying to insert its authority in the capital Mogadishu for the first time since its inception.
But violence is raging in the capital once again. Government posts are attacked almost daily, often resulting in the death of uninvolved civilians.
Despite the situation, Somalis like Mahdi Haile, executive director of the Center for Somali Solutions in Minneapolis, are optimistic. He says the U.S. can exert pressure on the Somali government to restart dialogue with its opponents.
“The proposed legislation could pave the way for positive American role in Somalia—something we all long awaited,” he said.
Abdirahman Aynte can be reached at [email protected]