Hope alive in Horn of Africa nation despite war, terror attacks

Despite decades of civil war made worse by terrorism, Somali capital Mogadishu is rising from the ashes.

NAIROBI, KENYA: After a record 25 years of political turmoil and insurgency, Somalia is crawling back to stability.  

With the Al Shaabab fighters driven out of key towns by African Union Peace Keeping forces (Amisom), the country's capital Mogadishu now enjoys a semblance of tranquility. 

Five years after the fall of Kismayu – the scenic port city that served as Al Shaabab's headquarters, the country's economy is slowly picking up.

Despite fears the Al Qaeda-backed fighters could regroup to stage reprisal attacks, Somalia with the help of the international community, is determined to turn a new leaf.  

Somali's struggling government is upbeat the country will not slide back into the hands of the Al-Qaeda linked militants, saying the once war-torn nation has just turned the corner, with most of the country under government control, leaving the militants with only two swaths of territory. 

"We are a country on the rise," says President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, who adds that sooner, they will prove sceptics wrong by laying the foundation for a federal republic that will strong, stable and united and in which principles of democracy are upheld. 

Somalia leaders admit that there remain tough security challenges across the vast country but explained most of the Horn of Africa nation had been liberated from the hands of Al-Shabaab. 

Former Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon is confident of a better future. "We have moved from a situation where Al Shabaab controlled most of Mogadishu to one where the government is in control and violence have dropped dramatically," he says.  

Although the ragtag Al Shabaab continues unleashing violence in several pockets of the country as well as in neighbouring Kenya where it claimed responsibility for the killing of more than 100 students at Garissa University and another 67 people at a shopping mall in Nairobi in 2014, it is a matter of time before troops decimate the terror group.  

"Al-Shabaab remains a menace; together we need to reverse it," says President Hassan, adding it may still be difficult to prove tangible progress has been made because Al-Shabaab still has a degree of operational capacity.  

The Somali national police and the Africa Union mission (Amisom) forces have shut down check points where Al-Shaabaab insurgents imposed illegal taxes and terrorized residents and aid workers in a magnitude that sent shivers across the international community. 

The country now has a functioning legislative system overseen by Parliament under the guidance of Prof Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari, whose successful election as Parliamentary Speaker was one of the last hurdles in seeking to install a new all-inclusive government in Mogadishu.

Jawari, a former minister in the regime of the former dictator Siad Barre, has been guiding the churning out of legislations expected to guide the quick reconstruction of the country, with a special focus on infrastructure and enhanced security. 

The country is now on the path to serious institutional and constitutional reforms. Somali federal and regional leaders also approved a draft constitution, which was overwhelmingly passed by the National Constituent Assembly.

"The adoption of the provisional constitution was a turning point in the peace process and I am confident that we will soon be joining the list of functional African States," former Prime Minister Abdiweli Ali says. 

The international community has been particularly keen on Somalia, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying the international community must support the war-torn country in its quest for stability. 

US President Barack Obama's administration also warned that it would not tolerate any obstruction of the Somalia political processes, saying the election of President Hassan, Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke and Speaker Jawari was an "important milestone" for the nation.  

"All parties must work in a fair and transparent manner and will be held accountable for any failure to do so," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has also warned his country would not allow elements bent on sabotaging reconstruction of Somalia. Kenya has been leading the onslaught against the Al-Shabaab backed by the African Union Mission for more than seven years now. 

Against all odds, Somalia is witnessing a new dawn and many of its nationals in the Diaspora have been returning home to help rebuild their country. Somalia leaders are happy the country was on the road to full recovery. 

The government is opting for a multi-facetted approach to reining in insecurity. It extended an amnesty to pirates in an attempt to end attacks along the country's coast in the Indian Ocean. Somali leaders say the international community now has faith in Somali and cited the unveiling of a $20 million USAid development programme in Mogadishu. 

"I am optimistic because I recognise how far we have come in such a short time. Only recently, we were the world's worst failed state, with the most dangerous city in the world, home to a rampant Al-Qaeda led insurgency. Look at us today. We are on the right path. Somalia has turned a corner, and there is no going back," says Shirdon. 

The Transitional Federal Government, whose mandate ended, had been literally struggling to get a foothold amidst poor funding and terror threats, mainly from the Al Shabaab, believed to be funded and controlled by foreign jihadists.

President Hassan believes Somalia will rise. "Somali unity must be more than a rhetorical device: it must preserve and promote the dignity, equality, and legitimate aspirations of all Somali citizens," he says. 

Somalia has had no effective government since the ouster of Dictator Siad Barre in 1991. Terror gang took control following the ouster of Islamic Courts Union, which had been credited with installing some semblance of order.  

It is just a matter of time before Somalia gains full stability with the promising support of the international community.