Horn of Africa historical (pre-2011): catch all thread

[Jedburgh]

...I would suggest that somebody think seriously about country "strengthening" missions into Kenya, especially in the northern and north-eastern borders.

I don't believe this is the type of "strengthening" of the border region that you were implying, but they are attempting to address part of the situation:

ReliefWeb, 21 Dec 06: Commission provides €2 million in humanitarian aid for Somali refugees in Kenya

...Since the beginning of 2006, Kenya has seen a steadily increasing refugee influx from Somalia. Each day around 1,200 Somali refugees arrive currently in Kenya. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has so far registered 32,000 new arrivals this year on top of the 126,000 Somalis already living in refugee camps in Kenya. The aim of the Commission's assistance is to support activities covering the basic needs of the new Somali refugees (shelter, food, basic health services, sanitation).

Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said: "Somalia's fast-changing political situation and complex internal conflicts are once again in the international spotlight. The Somali people suffering from the consequences deserve the same attention. The effects of several years of drought have increased the humanitarian needs. The European Commission has been a very active donor right from the start. The additional €2 million confirm our continued humanitarian commitment alongside our political engagement to contribute to peace and stabilisation in Somalia." He added: "I also thank Kenya for hosting the Somali refugees at a time when the own population in particular in the north of the country faces economic hardship because of the severe drought in the region....

[marct]

I don't believe this is the type of "strengthening" of the border region that you were implying, but they are attempting to address part of the situation:

Hi Jedburgh,

Actually, that's part of it. Kenya has been getting progressively destablized by trying to deal with too many refugees and having porous borders. Some of the camps in Kenya and Uganda make the Black Hole of Calcutta look like DisneyLand, so, if we are going to think seriously about a GCOIN, then part of that has to be in terms of turning these sink holes into something that at least offers some hope and can be used as a staging ground for them to recapture the areas they have been thrown out of.

I think this is especially important in that particular region, since the main groups that we could be allying with, the Samale, the southern Sudanese, the people of Darfur, are getting the snot kicked out of them. How well will anyone believe promises of Western governments if we don't help them?

Yes, reconstruction is a part of all this, but, as the old adage goes "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime." I don't really think that making the refugee camps into lovely places is the answer (I've got more than a few problems with the UN). I do, however, think that the refugee camps need to be shifted from the loss column into the win column. Let's take a page from the old insurgentcy manuals...

Marc