Friday, February 22, 2019

Aiding Somalia and Somaliland

The Hill published on 19 February 2019 a commentary titled "The US and UN Are Repeating Iraq-style Mistakes in Somalia" by Michael Rubin, American Enterprise Institute.

The author suggests that the problem with US policy in Somalia is that Washington and the UN are channeling all aid funds to Somaliland, which declared unilateral independence from Somalia in 1991, through the government in Somalia. This practice effectively short-changes the democratic government of Somaliland.

While there is a strong argument to me made for providing more assistance to Somaliland, this will not solve the governance issues in Somalia or end the threat of al-Shabaab.