Somalia: Current Status
By: Fitz Bowen
The Somali government has been changed various times in the past two decades, but as of now it is a new transitional parliament. This form of government consists of 275 members, who vote upon the electing of a president and decide how to deal with conflicts that come up. Between 1991 and 2000 there was no official form of government. They figured out that there was no structure in society and so they input a light parliamentary government in 2004. (Somalia) Ever since they put in this government it has been successful, however they still are lacking control and power in their country. The current president of Somalia is Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. He has lived in Somalia all his life, and he is a strict Muslim. Sharif Ahmed is a very smart and qualified figure in Somalia, as he has studied at Libyan and Sudanese universities. (Al Jazeera) This is such a privilege and is unique for a native of such a poor country, which made him so noticeable in the running to become the president. (Al Jazeera) Sharif Ahmed’s main goals are to bring peace to Somalia, and to stop all war between them and Ethiopia. (Al Jazeera)
The economy has been quite prosperous; especially during the time that Ahmed has taken office. (Economy) The most important aspects of the Somali economy are the livestock, telecommunications and most importantly the trading businesses. (Economy) The livestock in Somalia has grown to be very important, as they export sheep, goats, cattle, and camels. These animals are not common in this area, and people such as foreigners like to purchase these animals for herding and food. The trading is propelled by the food industries such as the bananas and the seafood. Although the economy has been very prosperous over the years, the average person in Somalia makes around six hundred dollars each year. That is unbelievably low, compared to the average of around 30,000 dollars each year by an American each year, because this is still a very poor country. (Somalia) People are free to trade and that’s why the economy has boosted over the years. (Economy) Tourists are welcomed in Somalia, although it is advised to not go there due to the dangers of war. Hargeisa is a major city in Somalia, which would probably be the one place to visit, because it is so safe. (Travel Notes) Safety is the key to tourism in Somalia, and Hargeisa is one of the few places that have this feature.
Somalia is very open to foreigners, and they have to depend on people outside of their country, for their trading businesses. (Economy) Their main trading partners are Arab emirates, Yemen, Oman, Djibouti, Kenya, and India. (The Economy) Somalia has been part of the United Nations since 1960, but recently they have become a major threat to all boats through the Suez Canal. Pirates have come about, because of the poverty issues there, and they are holding massive cargo ships hostage to giving them millions of dollars. The government has established a Maritime Security Patrol Area, that patrols the seas to look for pirates. Russia and other neighboring countries are contributing to combat the piracy happening in the Middle East. This major conflict has not yet been fixed, because it is such a broad area that these patrolling officers have to cover, and the chances are slim that they come upon pirates. (Somalia-UN) This has been the main conflict that has taken place recently among Somalia and the foreigners. The United States still has an alliance with Somalia, although they are not happy that some of our ships have been held hostage for money. This country has no control, and everyone is looking for ways to get money and the government is so weak that they don’t know how to stop this from happening. It is hurting their relationship with outsiders, because they don’t know how to stop the pirates and also, they cannot afford to pay back the countries that were forced to give a ton of money to the pirates.
Somalia was not independent until the 60’s and were strongly influenced in many aspects by the Europeans who ruled them. The Somalis had a formal military relationship with the Soviets during WWII. The United States was not on their side and to anger them they sent troops to Ethiopia. Ethiopia has been an enemy of Somalia for a very long time, due to borders of each other land. The Ethiopian armies are invading on the Somali lands, as they claim that it is theirs. (Somalia-Pearson) The last time the Ethiopians invaded in 2007, the president was forced to flee the country. Somalia is a part of the United Nations, which means that they have alliance to many countries regarding warfare. Somalia does not really have close allies, but their main enemy is Ethiopia.
The predominant religion in Somalia is Sunni Islam. Religion is one aspect of Somalia that separates it from all of its surrounding countries. Ethiopia is mainly a Christian country, where as Somalia is almost all Muslim, with few Christians. Sunni Muslim is a state-sponsored religion for the country of Somalia. Sharif Ahmed is a Sunni Muslim, and he was so religious from his childhood and on, that when he was fourteen, he had memorized the Qu’ran. (Al Jazeera) Although Somali is the official language, speaking Arabic is very common, The Muslim children are taught Arabic in religious classes and ceremonies all throughout their lives. Religion is a big part of life for these people in Somalia, especially because of their poverty issues. (Religion)
Bibliography
“The Economy." Country Studies. 05 May 2009
file://localhost/<http/::countrystudies.us:somalia:56.htm>.
This website helped me understand the current economy and how much it has prospered over the past few years. Also it listed the main imports and exports.
"Profile: Sharif Ahmed." Al Jazeera. 4 May 2009.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/01/2009130103738130957.html
I learned a lot about Sharif Ahmed: the president of Somalia from this website, and how he became so powerful.
"Religion." Country Studies. US Library of Congress. 2 May 2009.
This website was the most helpful of all, because it showed me how much of a factor religion is in Somalia. Also I had no idea that one religion could be so dominant in an area.
"Somalia." Central Intelligence Agency. 3 May 2009.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html#People
This website helped me gather basic information about the religion aspect of my country.
"Somalia." United Nations. 4 May 2009
file://localhost/<http/::www.un.org:members:list.shtml>.
This site helped me understand when the Somalis became part of the UN and what is going to happen now that the pirating in the Suez Canal is getting messy.
“Somalia.” Pearson Education Inc. 4 May 2009
http://infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html
This was a good source, to start off my knowledge of the alliances and enemies that Somalia has formed over the past hundred years.
Travel Notes. 4 May 2009.
http://www.travelnotes.org/Africa/images/somalia.gif
This was where I got the picture with a map of Somalia.
Last updated by Fitz Bowen on May 23, 2009
http://org.newtrier.k12.il.us/academics/faculty/hjelmgren/africa09proj3lev.html
