The question of the state and the rise of modern day terrorism in Somalia, 1990-2013
Abstract
The absence of a central state with an effective functioning government since 1991 plunged
Somalia into civil war and chaos. This was fanned by other factors such as the rise of
clanism, lack of efficient leadership, terrorism and environmental factors. This led to the loss
of lives of many Somalis. Many fled and became refugees in neighboring countries. Somalia
was declared a collapsed state because of the complete absence of the state capable of
meeting its international obligations. This led to the gradual disintegration of Somalia with
different factions claiming independence. In the midst of these difficulties, Somalia was
abandoned with very limited intervention as a result of the casualties sustained by the
international community in 1992. Faced with the situation and the need for survival, war
lords claimed territories, imposed their own means of security and imposed taxes on the
locals. Others, to ensure economic gains, took to piracy.
The methodology used in this study is the qualitative method which is partly descriptive and
partly analytic. Since literature about piracy on land remains relatively limited, data was
gathered mostly from secondary sources and some primary sources through interviews with
some key players with firsthand knowledge on the situation in Somalia. The data was
immediately analysed based on the deductive data analysis strategy within the scope of the
research to come out with the findings.
The findings revealed that the absence of an effective functioning government in Somalia
undoubtedly led to piracy that flourished off the coast of Somalia. This was due to the fact
that the absence of coast guards exposed Somali territorial waters to foreign fishing vessels
and the dumping of waste. This, coupled with other factors on land such as unemployment,
forced Somalis to turn to piracy. Thus, piracy is only a manifestation of the events on land
which the country has experienced since 1991. It is argued that direct military action by the
international community is necessary eliminate the challenges posed by piracy. Countries
affected by piracy should continue to assemble a force capable of escorting maritime vessels
through the Gulf of Aden. However, this is only a short-term solution. A long term solution is
to rebuild the state of Somalia with an effective government.
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