Somaliland has been stable, without insurgent activity, so the sanctions will be extended against this fledgling economic activity. Somalis fear the sanctions because they may scare off expatriates seeking to invest in Somaliland.
By John Price - SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
President Obama's plan to renew sanctions against Somalia
to weaken Islamist militants would wrack the war-torn country's economy just as
an elected government is restoring stability for the first time in 22 years and
as thousands of refugees are returning to their homeland.
The sanctions, imposed in 2010, are scheduled to be
lifted Friday. They prohibit charcoal exports a key source of funding for
al-Shabab terrorists, whose grip on parts of Somalia has been loosened by
U.N.-backed African Union forces.
Charcoal exports are also a basic economic resource that
affects thousands of Somali villagers.
In announcing to Congress his intention to extend
sanctions for one year, Mr. Obama last week noted that his administration in
January formally recognized Somalia's new government, led by President Hassan
Sheikh Mohamud. The U.S. action allows the resumption of full diplomatic
relations with Somali, as well as civilian and defensive military aid.
"Although the U.S. recognition underscores a strong
commitment to Somalia's stabilization, it does not remove the importance of
U.S. sanctions, especially against persons undermining the stability of
Somalia," Mr. Obama said in a letter to lawmakers. "For this reason I
have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with
respect to Somalia and to maintain in force the sanctions ... to respond to
this threat."
Such harsh action could not come at a worse time for the
struggling villagers and merchants in Somalia, which I visited last week.
Security in the Somali capital Mogadishu has improved
dramatically since African Union forces drove out al-Shabab in August 2011, but
sporadic bomb attacks continue.
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Al-shabbab owned charcoal on export at kismayu port/file
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Mohamed Guled, a naturalized U.S. citizen who recently
visited his former family home in Mogadishu, showed me pictures he took of the
positive side of the capital a new beginning for this once richly cultured
city. Somalis are returning from abroad, and new homes are being built. Somalis
also are getting more involved in starting new businesses; schools and
hospitals are being built, and roads are being upgraded.
Land mines, a longtime problem, have been removed in most
areas.
A new president and parliament have been elected, and the
courts are functioning more transparently. There are signs of an emerging
energetic civil society, Mr. Guled said with a smile.
Refugees also are returning to Somaliland, a de facto
state recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia.
In Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, I visited two schools
that the Price Family Foundation has sponsored. The Ambassador Hotel where I
stayed was booked with businessmen and representatives of nongovernmental
organizations. A wedding party was staying there. The local markets were
bustling with activity.
Mr. Guled had come to Somaliland to establish his
distribution business selling diapers and feminine hygiene products. His
younger brother, Hussein, was there to help launch the new enterprise.
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Coca cola factory in Somaliland
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In Hargeisa, I also met Moustapha Osman Guelleh, chief
operating officer and co-owner of Somaliland Beverage Industries. Educated in
Britain, Mr. Guelleh had just completed construction of a state-of-the-art Coca
Cola bottling plant. In a nearby village, he built a two-classroom school.
I also met three entrepreneurs Abdi Nur, CEO of a
construction company; Abdirahman Adam, senior marketing director of a privately
held telecommunications company; and Omar Hayd, CEO of an import-export trading
company. They all had lived in the United States and were enthusiastic about
Somaliland's future.
A trade embargo on any products will hurt already
destitute Somalis, who live on less than $1 per day.
Somaliland has been stable, without insurgent activity,
so the sanctions will be extended against this fledgling economic activity.
Somalis fear the sanctions because they may scare off expatriates seeking to
invest in Somaliland.
The U.S. sanctions, intended to curb radical Islamists'
activities, instead will stifle economic growth a requisite for stability.
• John Price is a former U.S. ambassador to Comoros,
Mauritius and the Seychelles islands. He is currently a resident scholar at the
University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics. He is the author of
"When the White House Calls" and writes commentaries on Africa and
the Arabian Peninsula.
Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com
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