America should be making every effort to use peace as its first option in diplomacy.
Rebel groups drove President Mohamed Siad Barre out of Mogadishu, Somalia in 1991. There was no sovereign government that followed Barre’s ouster. Somalia then descended into complete disorder and confusion.
The United States first became involved in Somalia in 1992, as part of a peace and aid mission to Somalia. However, The Battle of Mogadishu ensued and resulted in the loss of 18 American soldiers. The conflict famously became known as “Black Hawk Down”.
The costs of U.S. intervention result in civilians and American soldiers getting killed and wounded. With no clear exit strategy from Somalia, we can only hope that there isn’t a repeat of a “Black Hawk Down” scenario. Without the initiative of peaceful resolutions in Somalia, we only run the risk of conflict escalation. Shouldn’t we be focused on avoiding deadly intervention at all costs and bringing the troops home?
Despite the current situation, which foreshadows a repeat of 1992, we continue to station our troops in Somalia. The Islamist armed group Al-Shabab, has killed hundreds of civilians mostly located in Mogadishu. In October 2017, a truck filled with bombs killed 358 people, which was the deadliest attack in Somalia’s history. Furthermore, 1228 civilians were killed in the first 9 months of 2017.
Somalia’s civilians face very bleak conditions. Most of the citizens are experiencing a famine. Somali citizens have been displaced from their homes. There is a humanitarian crisis happening which has been a result of an absent administration. American troops thus far have solved nothing.
The Somalia conflict has cost the international community over $55 billion. Most of the burden has fallen on the United States. There is very little progress being made because of our involvement, which is why America should define a clear exit strategy. U.S. involvement will only result in further escalation of the tense situation.
However, there should be some optimism that a peaceful solution is reached. President Trump has agreed to meet with President Kim Jung Un to discuss peace talks. If President Trump is committed to peace, he should be making his rounds to every country where conflict looms. If the peace talks with North Korea prove successful, it should be used as a model in the future of peaceful resolutions and bringing the troops home.
Somalia is a deadly racket, and its citizens have deeply suffered. Terrorist organizations have inflicted their will on innocent civilians. Somalia is in economic decay, and its people are living in dire conditions. We would be best suited to bring our troops home and spare any further bloodshed.
To continue to add to the mess would be a tragedy. America should make every effort target peaceful resolutions between the two countries. President Trump should set up a similar meeting he is having with Kim Jung Un, with Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.
The grassroots activist organization Young Americans for Liberty has launched a new initiative, Bring Them Home, with the goal of ending unnecessary U.S. involvement, bring American forces permanently stationed overseas home. Bringing our troops home and preserving American life should be our ultimate goal. By holding our officials responsible for U.S. intervention, we can put pressure on them to bring our troops home.
It’s time to get on board with the YAL’s peace, freedom, and liberty movement to end all unnecessary conflicts.
