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EU poses as Somalia's white knight...

...but hides its own dirty hands

By Vanessa Mock in Brussels

24-04-2009

A meeting billed as a donor conference for Somalia has tried to punch high above its weight by promising to help the new government end poverty and insecurity. But the EU's efforts are largely driven by its own commercial interests to stop piracy and come after decades of disengagement and illegal activities off the coast of Aden.

There was no shortage of confidence-boosting talk at Thursday's meeting in Brussels, with the UN Secretary General and the European Commission President both talking up the prospect of a "new chapter" and a "brighter future" for Somalia.

 

Absence of rule
Drawing breath, Ban Ki-moon and José Manuel Barroso also admitted that it would "not be easy" to stabilise Somalia give its long list of ills, from poverty to absence of rule of law, but hoped that the donation of 230 million euros would go some way to help train up more police and security forces there. Yet Neil Campbell of the International Crisis Group warns that EU's ambitions will fail unless it takes a far deeper and longer-term approach that goes beyond its immediate need to solve the growing piracy problem:

"The EU in the past looked at Somalia as a failed state beyond help. The last state to be looked at in this way was Afghanistan, which then became an exporter of violence. The same will happen with Somalia if we continue look at it as a lost cause and just through the piracy lens, then we won't solve the potential for it to export violence."

What's been pledged?

International donors raised 165 million euros to help bolster Somalia's security forces and back an African peacekeeping force The European Commission contributed almost half (72 million euros) Sixty million euros will go to the AMISOM African peacekeeping mission, which numbers around 4300 troops, short of its 8000 troop target Twelve million euros will go to help build up the police force

Corruption
Mr Campbell also explains that much of the money risks being squandered in the absence of credible state institutions in Somalia: "The problem is how will this money be distributed once it gets there, if there is no internal governance? You risk increasing corruption and other worst-case scenarios."

The EU itself does not have a clean reputation in the region. NGOs have long accused EU countries of dumping large quantities of toxic waste off the Somali coast and just this month, allegations that European companies have been fishing there illegally have resurfaced.

Illegal fishing
The Somali fisheries minister announced that over 200 illegal fishing vessels, most of them owned by EU companies, were active in Somali waters. Oceana, an ocean conservation group, says European trawlers deprived Somali fishermen of at least €100 million in lost revenue per year up until 2006, when the piracy problem reduced their activities. "But it's still a big issue," says Oceana's Anna Schoer, adding that European vessels often disguise their country of origin by using foreign flags or "flags of convenience."

"The tuna that is in Somalia's waters is very valuable and is exported worldwide and Somali people must benefit from this. We must stop robbing the Somali people of the income they could have from their fish", says Ms Schoer, adding that the EU's anti-piracy naval mission off the coast of Aden, known as Atalanta, should monitor this problem.

On Wednesday, EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said he had "no evidence" of widespread cases of illegal fishing but was monitoring the situation.

No quick fixes
There are no quick fixes for Somalia but Thursday's meeting was at least an encouraging sign that the international community is committed to staying the course.
Washington has nominated a special envoy to the region, Richard Carter. And the United Nations is reportedly considering setting up a special court to try Somali pirates.

NATO, which has four ships off the Somali coast, is also this week looking at stepping up its own military efforts there. Next month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also host a major Somalia conference.

Sheikh Sharif Ahmed
Many European leaders believe that President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed,a former Islamist rebel leader, offers the best hope in years of restoring stability and of drawing in more radical parties into a coalition.

"This is an extremely important conference because it is going to contribute to a solution to the problems of Somalia," Ahmed told reporters in Brussels. "We will do everything we can so that Somalia becomes a beacon of peace."

 

Tags: Ban Ki-moon, donor conference for Somalia, EU, José Manuel Barroso, Louis Michel, Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, piracy, Somalia, UN

Reaction(s):

Abdirahman O Warsame, 26-04-2009 -

Please,follow this link for the subject in discussion http://oddoros.com/English/Opinions2009.htm#International%20Conference%20on%20Somalia%20(2009-4-26) Thank you Warsame

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Abdirahman Warsame, 25-04-2009 - Saudi Arabia

Dear sir, The European Unions decision to help Somalia with this is welcome if it well-intentioned. However, many Somalis feel that is a fraction of the proceeds of the European illegal fishing along the Somali coast. With that added to the feeling that there is no credible Somali government in place, that aid can be interpretted as aid to empower one faction over others in Somalia's unresolved civil war, thereby perpetuating the chaos in pursuance of vested interests on the part of many European countries of which illegal fishing is a part. Such an aid at this stage is adding fuel to fire in Somalia's ongoing civil war and choas. It is my feeling that this aid will wait a credible government comes to the scene, otherwise it will be used a war effort by some factions in Somalia's ongoing war

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Rabbit, 25-04-2009 - NL

Looks like no matter what EU is doing, she is not going to please anyone. How about EU do nothing and instead do all shipping by air? Then the prices of all goods would become so expensive, we would stop buying cheap goods that comes from China, and other developing world. Well, not only the Somalian pirates would have nothing much to do, the seabed would be clean once again and fish would be plentiful, less oil would be needed, lots of factories would be close and therefore CO2 would be down .... WOW, by not buying excessively and stupidly, we actually solve lots of the ills that are facing the world at the moment. Let's set our clock back for 100 years!

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jasmin, 24-04-2009 - India

Robbing Africans, Middle East and Asians of their natural resources for commercial benefits and then riding as a White Knight! Then declaring them as failed people and failed states. I see a a pattern of decimating these people....No wonder there is unrest, war and destruction all around us....This exploitation of the poor countries, in the name of commerce for the benefit of developed countries must stop!

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Dr Mohamed, 24-04-2009 - Kenya

It is very interesting that EU pledges above 200 milion euros for somalia stability and end of poverty. But will EU countries clean the somali environment which their companies have dumped so much toxic industrial wastes? Will EU countries be accountable for the the illegal fishing and will they reimburse what they have stolen from Somalia in the last 20 years? I do not beleive that the current pledge will be enough for all the sufferrings that have been inflicted to somalis by EU despite the meagre so-called "humanitarian assistances" Somalia recieved all these years. I fully applaud for the current involvement of the EU to get a stable Somalia, b ut this should not been seen thorugh the lenses of the seapirates, but as a gesture of good samaritans EU has always played in the international arena. Furthermore, isn't it time to identify where the tuna fishes served in the european restaurants are coming from, or where the piles of the toxic wastes laying in the industries of europe are being dumped? I think its time that EU should investigate all these allegations and put on trial the true perpetuators of this silent atrocities, as somali people will be extinct in future unless something is done to remove and purify its seabeds.

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