Hiiraan Online

The gut-wrenching famine currently ravaging in southern Somalia is partly due to the worst draught in 60 years to hit Horn of Africa, but it was largely exacerbated by the despotic rule of the Al Shabab extremist insurgents.  Since the worst drought and food crisis have especially affected hard in the southern Somalia, which is the heart of al-Shabab occupied territory, the famine distress is at its worst point.  The ensuing famine has forced many families to attempt to flee on foot to either for neighboring countries, or in the capital, where they believe they can get food aid. However, the famine in southern Somalia was in the making for as long as Al Shabab colonized in the southern provinces of the country. 

It’s no coincidence that the country’s breadbasket is now synonymous with abject poverty and famine.  Because the draconian reign of Al Shabab mainly depends and thrives on the recruitment of young men from the southern provinces, as young as nine years old.  This has largely contributed to the famine because these young men had been forcefully recruited in droves into the Al Shabab radical cadres, instead of tilling and cultivating their sustainable crops.  With the fading seasonal rains in the southern regions, compounded with the enforced recruitment of youngsters into Al Shabab militia has resulted in unprecedented famine that decimated the population in that part of the country.  In addition, Al Shabab to carry out their terrorization against the very people that they exploit with impunity, they first expelled all aid organizations from the territories that they colonized.  Once the devastations of famine hit the southern provinces, the answer of Al Shabab was one of denial, scapegoat and further radicalization by preventing the draught victims from fleeing to the capital and neighboring countries, while banning the aid agencies to come back and feed these draught victims.  Furthermore, it was alleged that Al Shabab burned whatever little food and medicine that trickled down to that part of the country, while they killed charity workers as part of their long-running campaign against international aid groups.

Nevertheless, timing is everything and this is the most opportune time to expose the slow genocidal tactics of Al Shabab in southern Somalia, where they have caused irreparable havoc on many innocent lives.  In effect, their terror network is currently in great turmoil mired of internal disputes, dwindling resources, and most importantly loss of support from the populace in the southern regions that they control.  Al Shabab has to be put on the defensive and entirely driven out from every nook and cranny of their hideouts in southern Somalia.  Much will depend on taking advantage of this rare opportunity to drive the Al Shabab militia out of the southern provinces and on the run.  In other words, the success of the transitional government will depend on how effectively they make the most of this tragedy by simply recognizing its silver lining.  The timing is also right for the humanitarian relief to flow in because further delays could literally mean the difference between life and death.  Once the impact of the famine is abated, the Somali government needs to address the famine problem at its roots and urge the international community to tune back in order to end the perpetual failed state of Somalia. 

The bottom line is Al Shabab is a callous proxy for the Al Qaeda terrorist group, rife with Taliban wannabes who are at war with their own people.  They govern by maiming, killing, kidnapping, and now starving of their hostage masses in southern Somalia.  Anyone who has the slightest doubt about what Al Shabab stands for should watch this video that vividly documents how Al Shabab physically handicapped an innocent teenager, named Ismail Khalif Abdulle who became a victim of Al Shabab, after they barbarically double amputated his limbs and later hung them in the town’s square as a lesson to others.  His alleged crime: stealing cell phones -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgYsa3sGXbc&feature=player_embedded#

In the end, if Somalia ever finds peace, the legacy of Al Shabab will be nothing but an eternal shame of repression and starvation that Somali people will remember as one of the darkest days during the Somali civil strife quagmire.