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Peace
Building | Development
| Security | Human
Rights | HIV/AIDS
| Foreign Policy
Issues Foreign
Policy Africa Peace
and Stability Somalia
I am deeply concerned about the dramatic
escalation of violence and increasing levels of instability
in Somalia in the last few months. I traveled to the Horn
of Africa in November 2006 to study the rapidly deteriorating
conditions in Somalia and meet with senior government officials
in Kenya and Ethiopia. In the face of instability throughout
Somalia, the U.S. government still does not have a unified
and comprehensive strategy that deals with the full range
of challenges facing that country.
Below are some of the actions I have taken to focus attention
on Somalia:
Calling Attention to Somalia:
-
January 6, 2007 – Chaired a
hearing of the Subcommittee on African Affairs about U.S.
foreign policy in Somalia.
-
November
27, 2006 – Traveled throughout the Horn of Africa,
focusing on regional security issues and the rapidly deteriorating
conditions in Somalia.
-
July
11, 2006 – Convened leading officials and scholars
on Somalia for a Subcommittee on African Affairs hearing
to develop a U.S. foreign policy in Somalia.
-
February 6, 2002 – Chaired
a hearing of the Subcommittee on African Affairs about
U.S. foreign policy options in Somalia.
-
June 7, 2006 – Introduced S.AMDT.
4192 to S.2766 requiring the development of a comprehensive
stabilization and reconstruction strategy for Somalia.
The amendment was passed by the Senate on June
23, 2006 and signed into law by the President on October
18, 2006.
-
May
3, 2006 – Cosponsored S.Res.
460 calling for increased American support for the
Somali people and the establishment of a stable central
government.
-
October 28, 2003 – Successfully
introduced an amendment to require the State Department
to report on methods of supporting development and responsible
government in Somalia.
-
June 27, 2003 – Introduced
a resolution requesting the President to ensure adequate
food aid to the Horn of Africa.
-
September 24, 1999 – Introduced
the HOPE for Africa Act of 1999 to improve the economic
status of Somalia and other sub-Saharan African states.
-
November
16, 2006 – “Unfortunately, rising instability
in Somalia is having a direct effect on stability throughout
the region and, if left unchecked, will have a significant
impact on our national security and the security of our
friends and allies.”
-
November 18, 2005 – “A
multifaceted approach is necessary for the future of Somalia
and for the future of our own campaign against terrorism.
We cannot stand by as terrorist threats cross borders
and destabilize the Horn of Africa. The U.S. long term
policy should include coordinating with regional actors
in Africa and the international community to aid positive
actors working in Somalia.”
-
November
18, 2004 – “We have not made an adequate
investment in bolstering our diplomatic resources and
engagement around the world. From Northern Nigeria to
Eastern Kenya, we have virtually no presence. In Somalia,
despite knowing that al-Qaeda-linked terrorists have operated
in the country, we simply failed to develop any policy
at all.”
-
March
31, 2004 – “As the ranking member of the
Subcommittee on African Affairs, I know that we do not
have the intelligence resources that we should around
the world. I know that we do not really have any policy
at all to deal with Somalia, a failed state in which terrorists
have operated and found sanctuary. I know that there is
a great deal of work to be done to help countries in which
we know terrorists have operated. We need to improve the
basic capacities of border patrols who could stop wanted
individuals, and customs agents who could help stop weapons
proliferation and auditors who could freeze terrorist
assets. And we can do more to root out the corruption
that undermines these safeguards at every turn.”
-
July
9, 2003 – “During my chairmanship of the
subcommittee last year, we held a series of hearings focusing
on the very real security threats that are posed by weak
or failed states in Africa, including criminal networks
like those in Somalia or West Africa which can provide
a safe haven for terrorist activities.”
-
October 15, 2002 – “It
is my intention to introduce legislation at the beginning
of the 108th Congress aimed at focusing more coordinated
and consistent attention on Somalia. The U.S. must work
harder at providing an alternative to the extremist influences
in Somalia by vigorously pursuing small-scale health and
education initiatives. And we must help Somalia’s
surprisingly vigorous private sector, to begin building
regulated, legitimate financial institutions in Somalia,
which will be essential to any economic recovery in the
country in the future. Otherwise, we leave it to illegitimate,
shadowy forces to step into the breach.”
-
May 11, 2000 – “When
it comes to the African situation, this notion that we
should do everything or nothing leads to real problems.
In Somalia, we tried to do too much when we did not know
what we were doing, and then we did nothing when it came
to Rwanda. It does not have to be everything or nothing.”
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