Some suggest extending the mandate of the AU’s present embattled force of Ugandans and Burundians for another year. The AU troops could perhaps be bolstered by private security firms to let UN offices and foreign embassies be re-established in Somalia, helping Mr Ahmed get a grip on Mogadishu. At the least, the airport should be secured. The UN’s special envoy, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, a former foreign minister of Mauritania, says he is determined to move his office from Nairobi. “Why [is there a green zone] in Baghdad and Kabul but not in Mogadishu?”, he asks plaintively.
This was taken out of the very last section of this article, as a possible solution to help this newest Somali president. The idea is very interesting, and it is nice to see the Economist even include PSC’s in the discussion about possible solutions. As far as this being a good idea, I don’t know. The big problem I see with this, is the strategic implications. PSC’s must be viewed as plausible solutions, and not money hungry mercenaries. So however they are used, it must totally be geared towards Ahmed’s country wide strategy, and countering the Shabab.
The Shabab will totally use the presence of foreigners, much like they did with Ethiopia troops, as a tool to justify Shabab ‘Taliban-like’ rule in Somalia. So however PSC’s are used, they must be viewed as the protector of the people and a temporary tool of the government–but they must also deliver on the goods and quickly. There must also be a proper PR campaign implemented, and it should be included in the contract, before any insertion of PSC’s or PMC’s. And once on the ground, it will be a total battle for the hearts and minds of the people, along with being effective in protecting the people and the legitimately elected government. It can happen, and Executive Outcomes was able to do just that in Angola and Sierra Leone, and Somalia could benefit from a similar effort. Things to think about. –Matt
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Somalia’s civil war
Just a glimmer of hope
Feb 26th 2009 | NAIROBI
From The Economist print edition
After 18 years of strife, there is a small chance that a new Somali president and a new American one could make a fresh start.
THE most smashed-up country in the world has reached a crossroads. The recent election of a moderate Islamist, Sharif Ahmed (pictured above), as Somalia’s new president may offer the best chance of peace in the country for more than a decade. As head of the Islamic Courts Union that held sway over a chunk of Somalia in 2006, he was later driven into exile by invading Ethiopian troops backed by America. So it was quite a turnaround when, on his first day in office a few weeks ago, this courteous former geography teacher went to Ethiopia and got a standing ovation from heads of state in its capital, Addis Ababa, at an African Union (AU) jamboree.
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