Thank you for the fantastic response to my previous blog. It’s great to see so many comments. For my next few blogs I intend to focus on the key themes of the London Conference, and would like to ask that comments try to focus on each of those issues.
So, in this blog I want to open the floor – to a discussion of security issues. I want to pose two issues:
- Firstly, the role of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and in particular the question of how the international community can best support the operation; and
- Secondly, how support for the Somali security and justice sectors can help support the political process and stability in Somalia.
Improving security for the people of Somalia is vital. But – security cannot be sustained without a political process; and a political process cannot endure without better security. Both are critical; both are inter-twined. How can and how should they work together? Recent gains by AMISOM have provided an opportunity for people in Mogadishu to return to their city and start to rebuild their lives. The visible signs of rebuilding in the capital are a sign that confidence is slowly beginning to return. Improving security means more than just physical security, as important as it is – it also provides the means to further weaken Al Shabaab; to tackle the scourge of piracy; to provide an environment for further stability and recovery.
We want the London Conference to highlight the need for greater resolve – both international and Somali – to improve the security situation for ordinary people and create an environment in which a political process can flourish and effective governance can be extended across the country. This poses a number of questions – how big should AMISOM be? And how sustainable is it in the long term? What about Somali security forces? And, most importantly of all, what about the issues of civilian protection and the rule of law? The challenges are great. But so are the rewards.
I want to hear what you’ve got to say about this. Do you agree with what I have said above? Have we got the balance right? What are the issues around security and justice that you think need greater attention?
I look forward to the debate. Please leave your comment below, or at UKinSomalia Facebook or UKinSomalia Twitter where we are also using #LDNSomalia to talk about the conference.