SOMALIA: Is it Safer Now?

In the heartland of Somalia, the warring parties are still playing the game of life. Innocent Somali men, women, and children are enduring the brutality of war, with thousands of innocent lives caught in daily cross-fire between the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and their Transitional Federal Government (TFG) supporters on one side, and on the other side, the Al-Shabaab organization. For over twenty years, Somalia has been the wasteland of North Africa. Peacekeepers from AMISOM, the United Nations, the European Union, Non-Government Organizations, Humanitarian Organizations, and the United States have all tried to provide stability in the country, yet, little progress has resulted. Millions of dollars have been spent, infrastructure has been built, forces have been trained, and politicians have beat the halls of capital buildings looking for international support, yet, how can we know if the Somali people are safer. Little research has been done in measuring results in this area because it s common sense to assume the worst. The worst is simply that Somalis are not any safer today than in the past. This paper examines the progress that has been made in Somalia, using both qualitative and quantitative data, as the basis for providing an independent assessment of whether the TFG and their allies have been able to develop some control of Somalia or whether millions in resources and thousands of lives have been an expensive waste for the international community. The original document contains color images.