Somalia needs a cease-fire and protected zones for the civilian population

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) criticized the demands of the Somali government for military protection for humanitarian aid workers. "Military accompaniment for aid convoys endanger both the aid workers and the civilian population," said Ulrich Delius of the Africa section at the STP, on Monday in Göttingen. This is because with military escorts, fewer aid organizations than ever would reach the famine areas controlled by the al-Shabaab militia. The aid workers would be prevented from entering such areas because they would no longer be seen as neutral. It would be of more help to the famine sufferers if the interim Somali government would push for an immediate cease fire. If they are not completely indifferent to international humanitarian law, the parties to the conflict in the civil war in Somalia must at least agree to set up protected areas for the civilian population.

"But Somalia's government is even trying to exploit the fact that the famine has weakened the al-Shabaab militia, for their own military success," criticized Delius. The withdrawal of al-Shabaab from the capital, Mogadishu, would have been an excellent opportunity for a new peace initiative. But rather than calling on the rebels to join in a cease-fire, Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed demanded over the weekend that they surrender in defeat.

Obviously Somalia's government is still counting on finding a military solution to end the civil war, in spite of the catastrophic situation for the civilian population, and keeps initiating new offensives against the rebels. "If tens of thousands of Somalis fall victim to the famine in the coming months, then the blame will lie not only with the drought, but also with the al-Shabaab militia and the Somali government," warned the human rights activist.

Al-Shabaab already accuses various international aid organizations today of failing to remain neutral, and is preventing them from getting supplies to the civilian population in the areas under al-Shabaab control. Operators with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Somali Red Crescent on the other hand, are able to help in these areas.