A brighter future for Somalia?
2,114 views · Published 1 February 2013 · 2:12 · Indexed 1 November 2026
Channel: European Parliament · 2013 · News & Politics
Comment on European Parliament Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/europeanparliament Could the failed state of Somalia finally be turning a corner after decades of civil war? Stability in Somalia is stability for Africa as a whole and stability also for Europe. Therefore we are very grateful for the efforts and the first steps made by the government of the President. On Thursday Parliament welcomed the recently elected President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to speak with MEPs at a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Development Committees. The list of problems is endless. We can't count how many problems Somalia has. Maybe we could count the problems Somalia doesn't have. Somalia is a country ravaged by civil war, plagued by years of political instability and terrorism, which have further fuelled famine, poverty and piracy. The terrorist outfit al-Shabaab, who has close links to al-Qaeda, has laid siege to much of southern and central Somalia, although it's slowly being beaten back. Al-Shabaab grew because there was state failure and no governance. The training of armed and security forces is indeed an essential element for the state to function in Somalia. Somalia has big problems but is not alone. From the hostage situation in Algeria to the operation in Mali, North Africa is engulfed in crisis. The EU is Somalia's largest donor having provided over €400 million over five years and EU naval forces have been fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia since 2008 under the umbrella of Operation Atalanta. We're now trying to nation build, trying to support the government, so we welcome his fresh approach in dialogue, him coming here, very candid and open. Could there come a day when the problems of Somalia are behind it? Terrorists come from Somalia, pirates come from Somalia, refugees come from Somalia and we want to eliminate that and we are sure - and we have the confidence - that within the next ten years we will see a Somalia that contributes to world security, world stability and world development. EuroparlTV video ID: 7044d914-d7b8-4033-a4b4-a157011ddeb4
