Somalia cannot be left at the mercy of terror

▶ Mogadishu attack shows that tackling extremism in Horn of Africa should be a global priority

On Saturday, Mogadishu was struck by its deadliest attack in years. A car bomb explosion killed at least 90 people. This gruesome attack is not an isolated incident yet Somalia’s woes rarely get the attention they deserve. The nation has been battling the threat of Al Shabab, a group linked to Al Qaeda that has waged an insurgency against the government and carried out attacks on civilians since its rise in 2004. For decades, ordinary Somalis have been unable to find a sense of normalcy as war, terrorism, extreme poverty and even famine have plagued their daily lives amid global indifference.

Al Shabab’s influence might have declined in the past decade as it has, along with other extremist groups, sustained significant territorial losses. But Saturday’s attack has proven that it is far from being a thing of Somalia’s past.

Despite increased US air strikes against its high-profile figures, Al Shabab continues to control territory in south and central Somalia.

In 2019 alone more than 200 people were killed in terror attacks, including Mogadishu mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman, who was targeted by a suicide bombing in August and Canadian-Somali journalist Hodan Nalayeh who died in a July attack on a hotel.

When Somalia’s prime minister Hassan Ali Khiere, who promised to tackle high-level corruption, was appointed in February 2017, there were high hopes that the country would extricate itself from its violent past.

He has failed to live up to the promise, and struggled to develop regional and international relations to help his country out of its troubles. The same year, Al Shabab launched its deadliest attack ever, killing nearly 600 Somalis in Mogadishu. And this summer, the UN warned the country was in need of aid to counter the looming threat of starvation.

Due to the gravity of the situation, there is little chance that the conflict-ridden country – one of the poorest in the world – can turn the page in a matter of years.

The country attracted global attention and received support to end piracy off its coast in the early 2000s. At the time, pirates had threatened maritime security around the Horn of Africa and in the Arabian Sea. An anti-piracy coalition comprising 25 nations launched joint patrols in the area and by the end of the decade, this feat of co-operation had succeeded in securing maritime lanes.

However, the impetus that drove wealthier nations to secure their commercial interests in Somalia is nowhere is to be seen when it comes to helping Mogadishu deal with internal woes.

While the threat of famine looms over the country, the UN said it was forced to cut back its life-saving activities for lack of funding.

And the number of UN and African Union peacekeeping forces have been steadily declining over the years at a time when terrorist attacks are on the rise.

Somalia’s domestic troubles, and the long shadow of extremists in the Arab nation do not bode well for a country that deserves peace and stability after decades of strife.