Somalia's Haiti Problem: Where Is the Love?

I am a bit overwhelmed by the massive outpouring of aid that Haiti is getting now. I understand that the Island country was struck by a national disaster in which thousands of people perished and a lot of people got hurt. Haiti is poor, black, and has a long history of dysfunctional governments.
But as a Somali, I have to confess that I am perplexed. Why do some countries get so much love and others are deliberately ignored. I was even incensed when I saw a man, in one of the websites, asking about the distance between Haiti and Somalia, and whether there were pirates close to the waters of Haiti that could impede the flow of aid there. Now, that is too much!

Somalia is a bigger country and has so many issues and problems that the world ought to tackle. But I see the West turning its eye away from Somalia. I see our rich Muslim brethren of the Gulf States being sick and tired of our country. I see some of the Saudi scholars busy with issuing Fatwas or edicts excommunicating Somali pirates from Islam. Once upon time, Somalia was a proud and respected country. Now, we have become a laughing stock. A politician in Ivory Coast warns his countrymen of the danger of being in political quandary. ‘Do we want to become another Somalia’ he warns. No, of course. When a group of Somali taxi drivers in San Diego have recently protested against unfair labor practices, one of the owners was quoted suggesting that the cabbies go back to their country and become pirates.

I know why Somalia does not get much love from the world. It is beyond the trivial excuses of the country being black and Muslim. I think the world is suffering from the ‘Somali fatigue’.

First, Bush Senior sent troops to Somalia under operation “Restore Hope”. Somali warlords, like Aideed Senior, were not concerned about the thousands of people dying from hunger. They were interested in power and looting. It was Keith Richburg, a Washington Post reporter, who observed the cruel and evil nature of such warlords like Aideed. Richburg said in his book, Out of America: A Black man Confronts Africa (1997), that the first time he met Aideed he thought the Warlord was crazy. But, “When I saw him a second time in Bardhere, [Aideed was]holed up in a compound sitting on cushions and twirling his walking stick, with piping-hot food laid out on a long table while a few yards away people were dropping dead of starvation. That second time I thought he was not only crazy, but evil.” The rest was history. Aideed’s thugs and ordinary Somali masses taught the American Rangers a few lessons of savagery when the dead American soldiers were stomped on, beaten, and dragged in the streets of Mogadishu. To add insult to injury, Somalia will always be remembered and associated with the Hollywood movie Black Hawk Down! Our bellicose tendencies were magnified.

Second, Somalia is a security threat to such powerful nations like the United States whereas Haiti is not. Last week, President Obama wrote an article in Newsweek, “Why Haiti Matters”, highlighting the humanitarian aspect of the Haitian tragedy and the moral obligation to extend a helping hand. “We are mobilizing every element of our national capacity: the resources of development agencies, the strength of our armed forces, and most important, the compassion of the American people,” Obama declared. Americans, of course, are also concerned about the flood of Haitian refugees into Miami. But that is an immigration problem. Somalia, meanwhile, is another matter. Yemen and Somalia are candidates for an American military intervention. There is the threat of Al-Qaeda taking roots in Somalia. Al-Shabaab terrorists are making a good case for such intervention. Their leader has declared allegiance to Usama Bin laden (UBL). Bin Laden, who has always claimed that al-Qaeda fighters were behind the shooting of American helicopters in Somalia in early 1990s, must be pleased with al-Shabaab’s new vote of confidence in him. Of course, many Somalis not only see Bin Laden’s claim to be preposterous but they also see it as an exercise of self-aggrandizement. The last thing Somalis need is UBL meddling in our already-messy affairs. I know many Somalis would scream, “What does Usama want from us; he already has Pakistan” in paraphrasing the Black Comedian, Chris Rock, who raised similar question about Michael Jackson. Rock said, “What do whites want from us; we have already given them Michael Jackson”. As long as Al-Shabaab terrorists are controlling large swath of Somali South, the country will be viewed as a major security threat. The fact that Al-Shabaab terrorists have been actively recruiting Somali youth in the West will further alienate Somalis. The Americans won’t land in the presidential palace in Mogadishu, like they did in Haiti, but they would be sending drones to eliminate terrorists.

Third, pirates are soiling our reputation in the world. I believe the problem of piracy in Puntland (Do you know any pirates in Kismayo or Zeila?) is complex and multidimensional. The problem is bigger than a bunch of lanky, gun-toting, mal-nutritioned men roaming in the waters of Indian Ocean or the Red Sea. The assertion that the Puntland administration is too feeble to address the piracy problem needs to be re-examined. Perhaps, many sectors in Puntland have higher stake in making sure that this piracy issue remains unsolved. The pirates, themselves, have become brazen in their criminal activity after that infamous incident with the American ship in early 2009. The so-called president of Puntland, Mr. Farole, has been busy muzzling journalists and handing some Ogadenis, suspected of being members of the separatist organization ONLF (Ogaden National Liberation Front), to Addis Ababa.

Fourth, the Haitian Diaspora in America is vibrant and active. There are more than 200,000 Haitian immigrants in New York alone. The Somali Diaspora is small, new, fragmented and voiceless. Somalis do not have celebrities like Jean Wycliffe to advocate for them. We do not have sympathetic artists, filmmakers, politicians, and human rights activists that can raise their voices on behalf of Somalia. No George Clooney, no Bono, and definitely no Angelina Jolie. By the time former Supermodel Iman became interested in Somalia, her career was in a declivitous state. Projects like Save Africa by prominent artists were always geared to special countries like Ethiopia and, nowadays, Darfur. Obviously, if Ethiopia had gone what Somalia has been through for the last two decades, there would have been a world outcry. There is something about Somalia that turns the world away from it!

Then, finally, there is the issue of relief agencies. Al-Shabaab terrorists have kicked out relief agencies from the areas they control accusing aid workers of being spies. Last week, the terrorists robbed the offices of a relief agency in Beledweyne taking laptops and other valuables. The world responded to the Haitian tragedy with unmitigated attention and rescue. Even the Israelis, mind you, established a hospital in Haiti traveling 1700 miles to that Caribbean country while at the same time neglecting their hungry and economically -isolated Gazans next door. One voice was the exception. According to Foxsports.com, former NBA player Paul Shirley, mocked the Haitians. “Dear Haitians,” he wrote, “First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded”. He further asked, “ …Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy-shanty-and shack towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while.” ESPN dropped Shirley as its freelance writer because of his outrageous comments about Haiti.
The world needs Somalia as much as Somalia needs the world. If Somalis can’t help themselves, as it is manifested today, then perhaps we need the world to come and rescue us.