Report

Short Commentary on Somalia: Plus ça change…?

“The question now is when the resurrected government of Somalia can reduce its
dependence on its external life-support systems and assume a measure of responsibility for what happens in Somalia itself. It is evident that these are early
days, and that even partial recovery will have to be followed by a prolonged and
carefully monitored convalescence. Therefore, the willingness of the international community to expend the necessary care and attention on this frail
patient is also at issue. There are also clear signs that the deeper malaise of the Somali body politic remains deeply rooted, in that the country’s new parliament has already ignored important provisions of the charter under which it was constituted, and that it has also clashed with the president it elected, ostensibly over procedural matters.”