America’s Role in Creating the Refugee Crisis

Somalia

For more than two decades, Somalia has been the scene of violence and political unrest.

America has been involved in Somalia since the 1990s, when American involvement had absolutely nothing to do with national security, and was under the guise of peacekeeping. In 1991, a civil war broke out, killing thousands of civilians.  By 1992, an estimated 350,000 were dead due to famine, disease, or war violence.

Under pressure, President H.W. Bush went into Somalia with food and supplies.  The UN then joined the U.S.-led initiative.  It’s estimated that 80% of the food was “stolen” and traded for weapons by various factions in Somalia.

What started out as a relief mission had turned political — and the costs were high, with many lives lost.

By 1993, the mission had shifted from a humanitarian mission to a mission to establish a government in Somalia.  What started out as a relief mission had turned political — and the costs were high, with many lives lost.  After recognizing all the power held by the anti-UN General Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a former diplomat, the mission’s focus was shifted to trying to take him out.  He was branded a terrorist by the U.S. to try and neutralize his power base.  The international community recognized Aidid’s rival, Ali Mahdi Muhammad, as the president of Somalia.  In 1993, Aidid’s forces killed 18 Americans and wounded more than 70, while more than 300 Somalis were killed.  (If you’ve seen the movie Black Hawk Down, this may sound familiar; the movie was based on a book about these events).  The efforts to capture Aidid failed, and by 1994, the U.S. had withdrawn from Somalia, with the UN forced to withdraw by 1995.

Meanwhile, many suffered under Aidid’s reign.  His son, Hussein Farrah Aidid, took over in 1996, after his father was assassinated.

It wasn’t long in 2001 before America found itself back in Somalia when the younger President Bush authorized strikes in the country because it was believed the Somali government was harboring al Qaeda operatives and housing terrorist training camps. Drone strikes eventually became America’s go-to tool in the war in Somalia, reaching unprecedented numbers of people killed in drone strikes.

Leaked documents revealed that rather than backing Ethiopia’s invasion, the U.S. instigated it, making a secret deal with Ethiopia to fight a proxy war for the U.S.

The U.S. took advantage of the political turmoil to back Ethiopia’s 2006 invasion of Somalia, which was Ethiopia’s second time invading the country.  From 2002 to 2007, Ethiopia received more than $20 million in aid from the U.S.  Leaked documents revealed that rather than backing Ethiopia’s invasion, the U.S. instigated it, making a secret deal with Ethiopia to fight a proxy war for the U.S.

The fighting has continued to this day, with the Obama administration amping up what media outlets called a “clandestine” war in the fight against al-Shabaab, now an al Qaeda offshoot, by using air strikes, special ops troops, private contractors and providing assistance to African allies — anything to avoid the “boots on the ground” military strategy that resulted in the 1993 Black Hawk Down battle.

While many Somali refugees fled to Yemen to avoid crises in Somalia, many Yemenis are now fleeing to Somalia to avoid imminent starvation in Yemen.

Although the UN says Somalia is on a “positive trajectory,” the country’s future is fragile, with food insecurity, flooding, drought and violent conflict remaining an ever-present threat.  Over five million people — about 40% of the population — are in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance.  More than a million people are internally displaced.

Of those still in Somalia, more than 300,000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished.  Out of those kids, 50,000 children are severely malnourished and risk death if they’re not treated.

Another 1.9 million people may die from diseases that are preventable due to a lack of access to basic healthcare services.

While many Somali refugees fled to Yemen to avoid crises in Somalia, many Yemenis are now fleeing to Somalia to avoid imminent starvation in Yemen; over 30,000 people had been received in this manner, which puts a strain on the already thin humanitarian services available in the region.