Opinion | Editorials
Arab world cannot ignore Somalia's woes
Spate of hijackings indicate that the world is not insulated from the festering civil strife
- Gulf News
- Published: 23:53 December 6, 2008
Twenty-four Somali would-be refugees drowned inYemeni waters a few days ago and their bodies washed ashore. They were only the latest victims of a 20-year-old melancholy, better known as the Somalia conflict. This unfortunate land has not had a functioning government for two decades and is now divided into a number of 'republics' ruled by warlords and fundamentalists. Those with no land to rule threaten global trade by hijacking ships on the high seas.
Meanwhile, the helpless Somali people are faced with three stark choices: die from hunger, perish in the endless strife or attempt to escape the misery by fleeing to neighbouring countries. Many of those who choose to flee cannot make it, like the unfortunate souls found dead on Yemen's coast on Thursday.
Amid all the agony and deprivation, the Somalis surely wonder about the rest of the world, particularly the Arab world. They surely ask if the Arab League still considers them Arabs, for the organisation has never attempted to help them.
The League's chief, Amr Mousa, is known for his persistent attempts to solve problems in more than one Arab country. His shuttle diplomacy between the rival Lebanese parties has occupied most of his time in 2008. The little time left, he has spent mediating between Hamas and Fatah and trying to get the International Criminal Court to drop charges of genocide against President Omar Al Bashir of Sudan.
Obviously, Somalia is not attractive enough for him. It doesn't compare to Lebanon's famous hospitality - the food there is great, he once told a reporter.
Arabs seem to hope the Somalia problem would just disappear. We forget that the problem will only get bigger as long as we pretend it is not there.
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