It would appear the protagonists in Mogadishu always have something to fight about, reports PATRICK WACHIRA

SOMALIA, arguably the world’s most completely failed state, is on the threshold of new woes, thanks to the  al-Shabab militia and emerging threats. The sprouting of the al-Shabab — allied to the  dreaded al Qaeda terror group — and its take-over of parts of Mogadishu and Jowhar from government forces, is yet another sign that Somalia still cherishes its penchant for self-destruction.

Long accustomed to ceaseless clan feuds and living in situations in which violence can erupt with apparently little or no provocation, the announcement in January that Sharia law, which the al-Shabab advocates, will be applied throughout Somalia is an added ingredient into an already deadly mix.

The announcement was made by government, or what is left of it, which comprises moderate Islamists, mainly supported by the West. The spread of Sharia Law, might not sit well with the regime’s Western backers. Somalia appears so bent on self-decimation that even the current President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, rode to power on an outfit that had styled itself the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, initially based in neighbouring Eritrea.

The European Union, concerned about this unfolding spectre of self-annihilation, has organised army training for some 2,000 Somali soldiers at Bihanga Military Base in Uganda to secure the Federal Transition Government, which is fast losing its grip on Mogadishu. The first batch of 76 soldiers started off training in May under some 150 trainers and by the time the project is completed in June next year, the entire programme will have cost some US$6.2 million.

Mission Commander Colonel Ricardo Gonzalez Elul of the Spanish Army was quoted as expressing optimism that the project would yield dividends, but pointed out that the success of holding the army together was largely dependent on holding the troops together.

VETTING

There are fears the young officers, once trained, may desert the army and go back to their original groupings. This has prompted vetting based on ethnicity, education, past human rights abuses and attitude. Against this backdrop the African Union Mission in Somalia, (AMISOM) is reviewing the just over 6,200 troops on the ground in Mogadishu. The troops are from two Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs), Uganda and Burundi. AMISOM's military component is tasked with conducting peace support operations to stabilise the situation in order to create conditions for humanitarian activities and an immediate take-over by the UN.

The component is providing protection to transitional federal institutions (TFIs) and key infrastructure. The military is also mandated to protect AMISOM personnel, installations and equipment. The component is enjoying massive popularity from the Somali people because it provides services and amenities at no cost. The military provides free medical services to both in-patients and out-patients at the Force Headquarters and in outposts. The component also provides the community with free purified water.

The Military Component is headed by Force Commander Major General Nathan Mugisha, a Ugandan national who took over in August 2009 from Major General Francis Okello. He is assisted by Major General Cyprien Hakiza, a Burundi national.

And to counter new threats, AMISOM Police has deployed to Mogadishu a team of seven police trainers who have begun developing training manuals in conjunction with their Somali counterparts to start refresher training for the  Somali Police Force (SPF).The AMISOM Police component complements the military and civilian components.

AMISOM Police is mandated to train, mentor, monitor and advise the (SPF) to bring it to international standards. In line with this mandate, our source says, AMISOM successfully conducted an induction course for 34 police officers. The officers are from Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Sierra Leone, recruited through Selection Assistant Test (SAT) exercises in their respective countries.

The SAT exercises produced 600 certified police officers who are in the AU roster for deployment to Mogadishu.

POLICE

The AMISOM police component is headed by Commissioner Hudson Benzu, who has extensive experience in peacekeeping operations. He has served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (UNSOM 2) and as the head of the police component during the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) from 2003-2005. He has been a member of the AU/UN Capacity Building Training Team since 2006.

The Deputy Police Commissioner is Oliver Somasa. He is currently the Deputy Inspector General of the Sierra Leonean Police but on secondment to AMISOM. The component has four other experts; Isaac Samson, Dr Steven Kasiima Munanura, Emmanuel Mbonirema and Vance Baba Gariba.

Somasa is the Chief of Staff of the AMISOM Police component. He is a serving member of the Nigerian Police Force and has vast experience in peacekeeping operations, having served in the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) among others.

Munanura is the AMISOM Police Co-ordinator for Training. He is the Commissioner of Police and Head of Traffic in the Uganda Police Service but currently on secondment to AMISOM. He has experience in peacekeeping operations, having served as a member of the police training team and other senior police leadership positions in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

Mbonirema is the Police Coordinator responsible for Reform and Restructuring. A Burundian, he has served in the Burundi Police Force as Director of the National Police School, Director General of Migration, and Director of Training for the National Police Force.

Gariba is the Special Assistant to the AMISOM Police Commissioner who has served in the UN Mission in Liberia as well as being a serving member of the Ghanaian Police Service. He has served as a visiting resource person at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana, and the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya.

UN

Although the incumbent president, a 46-year-old former teacher, came to power courtesy of a peace process initiated by the UN, his life is not on tenterhooks nearly as much as the man he replaced, Abdullahi Yusuf, who missed death by the skin of his teeth several times in attempts on his life.

This is due to the round the clock security by AMISOM. In a country that has lost at least 1 million people since Siad Barre exiled himself through Kenya after his overthrow in 1991, clan fighting is something of a credo.

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia entered into a power-sharing agreement with a self-styled group, Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a (ASWJ) on March 15 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at a ceremony chaired by the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Dr Jean Ping. Whether this new arrangement will hold or is just a fleeting chapter in the country’s long and dramatic history is hard to tell.

And just as Somalia and other states in the Horn of Africa grappled with this vile phenomenon, a curious thing happened: Kenyan authorities discovered a massive US$2.1 billion (KSh164 billion) was stealthily making its way into the Kenyan economy. Source? Unknown.

Speculation among economists, statisticians and other experts is rife that Kenya has become a money-laundering destination for the pirates to invest their spoils. The figures were captured in balance-of-payments statistics released by the Central Bank of Kenya.