U.S. Bombs Somalia Again, Headed for Humanitarian Crisis

Summary

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"The U.S. involvement in Somalia, since 1993, has been rooted in counter-terrorism efforts, which barely factored in the suffering of the Somali people," writes John Prendergast, cochairman of the Washington-based group ENOUGH. Prendergast said U.S. engagement in Somalia is actively fostering the rise of radicalism across the region.

Nanu Kidane,. network coordinator for the, Priority Africa Network, wrote in 2007 that the U.S. political and military alliance with Ethiopia that was used to oust the Islamic Courts in 2006 openly violated international law. "It is impossible to overlook the parallel with the situation in Iraq-it's aggression that is undesirable. The same language is Jbeing used to justify it," she said, explaining the U.S.'s behavior in Somalia.

Bottom line: analysts believe the Islamic Courts are not the "ideal" caretakers of Somalia's black gold for the western oil interests. It is believed that the Islamic Courts would have used oil profits to benefit Somalia's impoverished population. And that the UIC would not feel beholden to contracts signed by Siad Barre decades ago.

[...] the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that the soaring' food prices and a worsening drought are causing a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia, with approximately 2.6 million Somalis needing assistance-more than a third of the Horn of Africa's population, and a rise of 40 percent since January.

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U.S. Bombs Somalia Again, Headed for Humanitarian Crisis

A spokesperson for the United States Central Command finally confirmed that a U.S. air strike in an early morning raid on May 1, in the vicinity of a central Somalian town, hit the home of Aden Hashi Ayro, reportedly the military head of al-Shabab. Local elders told the BBC approximately 30 b...

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