It will take more than an army to repair Somalia

▶ A new US military mission may help with security, but Somalia’s problems go far beyond that

US President Joe Biden swore to end his country’s “forever wars”. It polled well, as did it for his predecessor, Donald Trump. But in practice, it has been hard to implement – the starkest example being the detrimental US withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer.

However it is viewed, it is a promise that may come to define his presidency. But this legacy is not yet set. News that President Biden recently approved a plan to redeploy hundreds of American troops to Somalia shows how complex America’s position in the world has become.

First, it is a sign that American policy towards the region has been inconsistent. Former president Trump withdrew most US forces from the country during his tenure. Second, it shows quite how bad the situation has become in Somalia.

In better circumstances, this would be a time of optimism for the country. It has just elected a new president after the chaotic process of removing the former leader, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, from power. Now, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has promised to “build a Somalia that is in harmony with itself and is in harmony with the world”.

In actual fact, Mr Mohamud is not that new. He was Somalia’s leader between 2012-2017, and clearly did not do enough to stabilise the country. It is imperative he does better this time and builds a strong, fair government, because very little is harmonious in today’s Somalia. It regularly ranks near the bottom on important development indicators. Somali politics is chaotic and corruption is a major issue.

Cleaning up the political landscape would be a start, but it is going to take more to strengthen the country. Perhaps the main impediment to change is the security situation. Al Shabab, a terrorist group, has inserted itself into daily life in the country. It is murderous. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of civilians it killed stood at more than 4,000. The majority were in Somalia. The new president must commit to countering extremism.

Of course, Mr Mohamud’s government does have valid security concerns, and US troops could help in this regard; a central part of their mission is targeting Al Shabab. But both presidents must learn the lessons of recent failures to stabilise unstable places by relying too much on the military.

Security is imperative, but that can only be built by understanding the holistic nature of the challenge the country faces. Al Shabab is deadly, but so are the country’s many environmental crises. Almost 90 per cent of districts are affected by continuous, severe water shortages, and the impact that is having on food supplies leaves 1.4 million children malnourished. In a world already slow to act on the danger of climate change, and now distracted by the war in Ukraine, the multilateral drive needed to address these issues must be emphasised.

Somalia may be isolated, but its instability has global ramifications, whether through piracy or militancy. Today, as a new president emerges and a renewed US military presence begins, minds must be focused not just the results of Somalia’s strife, but the causes, too.