[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12923]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                SOMALIA

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, although Somalia's 9 million people have 
suffered from violence, natural disasters, and lawlessness for decades, 
the humanitarian and human rights crisis they face seems to keep 
getting worse. On Monday, the United Nation's humanitarian coordinator 
for the Horn of Africa announced that due to fighting between rival 
militias, successive droughts, sharply rising food prices, and a 
collapse of the Somali currency, more than 3.5 million Somalis will 
need emergency food relief in the next 3 months.
  On June 9, the United Nations' Special Representative for Somalia, 
Mr. Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, announced the first piece of good news from 
Somalia in a long time. With support from the U.S.'s own Special Envoy 
for Somalia, Ambassador John Yates--as well as representatives from the 
UK, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, the African Union, the League of Arab 
States, the Organization of Islamic Conference, and the European 
Union--Mr. Abdallah succeeded in brokering an agreement between 
Somalia's internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government, 
T.F.G., and a faction of the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation 
of Somalia, A.R.S.
  We cannot be naive, however, because there have been numerous such 
agreements in the past in which ceasefires, political cooperation, and 
efforts to promote peace, justice, reconstruction, and reconciliation 
were promised. The outcome could be different this time, if the 
international community commits the political and material resources 
necessary to see it through. External actors were a critical driver 
behind the peace talks in Djibouti and the resulting agreement, which 
ends with a call for international support that was echoed in the 
signing statements of the two rival political leaders. At the same 
time, we must recognize that extremist groups like al Shabaab have not 
accepted this peace deal and intend to continue fighting. They should 
not be allowed to derail the recently signed agreement. Indeed, by 
bringing the ARS into the institutional fold and consolidating a 
legitimate peace, the international community is more likely to see al 
Shabaab marginalized and rendered ineffective. This is not to say the 
road forward will be smooth, but taking steps to encourage existing 
divisions between the ARS and al Shabaab may create a path for ARS 
moderates to press for dismantling al Shabaab.
  Mr. President, Mr. Abdallah should be commended for this achievement, 
but more than back-patting is in order. His success as a mediator--and 
indeed, the leverage and credibility of the United States and those who 
share our vision of a stable, peaceful Somalia--rests upon the steps 
taken in the next days and weeks to facilitate the implementation of 
this agreement. Immediate, adequate, and coordinated action is needed 
to ensure that this most recent agreement does not meet the fate of its 
predecessors, with potentially more devastating consequences.
  Last month, this body passed a resolution I introduced, which called 
on Somalia's rival factions to recommit to an inclusive political 
dialogue and pledged international support for sustainable peace and 
security in Somalia and across the Horn of Africa. Mr. Abdallah and 
others have done their part. Now it is time for the international 
community to make good on our word.

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