[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Page 27287]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                SOMALIA

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I wish to express my deep concern 
regarding recent news reports about piracy off the coast of Somalia. As 
we all know, Somalia has been without a central, recognized government 
for well over a decade. It has been over 3 years since I chaired a 
series of hearings in the Foreign Relations African Affairs 
Subcommittee on weak and failing states in Africa, one of which focused 
on the dire situation in Somalia and inadequate U.S. policy there. 
Years later, U.S. policy is still stagnant, I am sorry to report, and 
the danger persists, as these news reports indicate. The time is long 
overdue for the U.S. to make a long-term commitment to addressing this 
potential trouble spot.
  I have consistently urged the Administration to be vigilant in 
focusing on weak states as part of the global fight against terrorism. 
All the characteristics of some of Africa's weakest states--
manifestations of lawlessness such as piracy, illicit air transport 
networks, and traffic in arms and gemstones and people--can make the 
region attractive to terrorists and international criminals. 
Regrettably, Somalia is still not on the administration's radar.
  According to recent press reports, pirates off the coast of Somalia 
are building strength and growing comfortable in expanding their 
attacks. Despite a lull in pirate attacks over the last 2 years, in 
just the last 6 months there have been 25 attacks off the coast of 
Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Attacks are no 
longer confined to the coast but reportedly include raids on ships 
hundreds of miles from the coast of the Indian Ocean. The resources and 
the audacity of the pirates appear to be growing. The attacks pose a 
tremendous threat to stability and economic development in the region, 
including neighboring countries such as Kenya and Djibouti that rely on 
maritime trade and tourism. The more organized the pirates become, and 
the more lucrative their crimes, the more we are faced with another 
potential front in the fight against terrorism, one involving a state-
less network of some of the worst international actors.
  The State Department 2004 report on counter terrorism in Africa 
states that the Somalia-based al-Ittihad al-Islami, AIAI, ``has become 
highly factionalized and diffuse, and its membership is difficult to 
define'' and that ``some members are sympathetic to and maintain ties'' 
with al-Qaida. State Department officials also acknowledge that AIAI is 
financing basic civil society needs in Somalia, including schools and 
basic health care. The international community is failing to empower 
Somali civil society. Without our attention and support, how long do we 
expect this community to refuse basic human needs funded by terrorist 
organizations? And what are the consequences of groups like AIAI being 
perceived by the Somali people as generous benefactors? The U.S. must 
work harder at providing an alternative to such extremist influences in 
Somalia.
  We can no longer insulate ourselves from weak states. We must engage. 
It is in our own national security interests that we work to strengthen 
institutions and empower civil society in weak and failing states in 
Africa in order to curtail opportunities for terrorists and other 
international criminals.
  A multifaceted approach is necessary for the future of Somalia and 
for the future of our own campaign against terrorism. We cannot stand 
by as terrorist threats cross borders and destabilize the Horn of 
Africa. The international community must intensify its maritime 
vigilance. The U.S. long-term policy should include coordinating with 
regional actors in Africa and the international community to aid 
positive actors working in Somalia, build institutional capacity and 
legitimacy, promote national reconciliation, and sever community 
dependency on terrorist funding for basic services. These are difficult 
challenges, but Somalia is not hopeless. A transition government and 
opposing factions are requesting international mediation and attention. 
They are asking us to act, and we must answer the call, for their sake 
as well as ours.

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