Anarchy and piracy

According to the United Nations, Somalia may be in the grips of extreme famine if aid does not get to them in large numbers and in time. I honestly don’t know how I feel about this. I’m not one to turn an apathetic eye to famine, especially in impoverished countries, but two words come into mind whenever I hear Somalia, anarchy and piracy. Somalia has been plagued with problems ever since it caught the world’s attention in terms of biblical-scale famine and drought. Makes one wonder why it continues to be inhabited by people. Anyway, many nations under the supervision of the United Nations have offered some form of aid. But the problem lies with the Somalis themselves.

 For a people struggling for survival, it seems that the more important thing for Somalis than food is firepower, because firepower equates with absolute power. Warlordism thrives in Somalia more than anything else. Because there are several warlords, civil war was inevitable. Anarchy ensued. Whoever had the most guns and men controlled a large portion of the country. And that includes whatever food the world tries to bring in. No central government, no central authority, nothing. Then you have the pirates.

 The whole world knows about the Somali pirate scourge that has gripped the Gulf of Aden. Many merchant vessels have become victims to these pirates because simply put, they do not put up a fight. Since most companies would rather pay the ransom than lose their ship or its cargo, piracy has become very lucrative in some parts of Somalia. So while you see both adults and children turning into living skeletal models, there are those who travel less than ten miles a day in Porsche Cayennes, Range Rovers or Mercedes-Benz SUVs!

I believe there is only so much the world can do for a people. Somalia is a good example. Unless the country submits itself to a central authority, one duly elected by its own people, then the country will drive itself to the ground, while the pirates will simply drive away. They have to clean up their own act, clamp down on the pirates or at least get a hold of their wealth to buy food and improve the country! Otherwise, nothing will stop the warnings of the UN from coming true. And maybe that’s how evolution wants it in the first place. Maybe the place should be uninhabited. Maybe there shouldn’t be people there who just cannot think past their gun barrels. As harsh as these words may sound, harsher still are the conditions by which innocent people are made to endure in Somalia, all because they refuse to serve the warlords, and refuse to pick up a gun and join the insanity.