The State of Qatar has invited the international community to join forces to find a radical solution to the crisis in Somalia, so that it can maintain its sovereignty and achieve national reconciliation. Somalia has been in the throes poverty for several decades owing to occupation by colonial forces and crippling civil wars.
Even though the regions which were under the rule of Italians and the British joined together in 1960 to form Somali Republic under a civilian government, the Somalians couldn’t lead a peaceful life because of sectarianism and subsequent civil wars which destroyed the country making it a failed state in the eyes of the world.
As a result of the political process providing benchmark of a permanent democratic institution started in 2011, a new provisional constitution was passed in August 2012 and Somalia became a federation. Following the end of the Transition Federal Government’s mandate in the same month, the Federal Government of Somalia, the first permanent government in the country since the star of the civil war, was formed and a period of reconstruction began in Mogadishu.
As a fledgling country, Somalia is still struggling for its development in every areas such as infrastructure, education and healthcare to mention a few. Without generous support from the international community, the country cannot transform its dream into reality as there is no major natural resource for the government to bank on to.
Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi at the International Partnership Forum on Somalia in Brussels, called on the international community to help spur the momentum of development in the African country.
The Minister said: “In order to build on the momentum that has been achieved, we must continue to make initiatives to support Somalia, honour the commitments we made, respect Somalia’s sovereignty and not interfere in its internal affairs, in accordance with international law and the political declarations made in this regard, in addition to providing full support in the fight against terrorism, which we condemn regardless of its pretexts, and strengthening cooperation between the federal government and all its states without marginalising any party.”
Qatar has always been keen to follow with practice what it speaks. In the 2010-2017 period Qatar had extended support worth $200m to Somalia and in November 2017 an additional package of $200m was announced for the health, education and infrastructure development of Somalia. And this year during the Ramadan, Doha started a civil donation campaign for the Somalians. All these supports are through official channels between the two countries and in partnership with the United Nations, international relief organisations and the Somali government.
The international community should rise to the occasion and redouble its efforts to bring Somalia back to the mainstream of the comity of nations so that the Somalians can hold their heads high once again.
