[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 23]
[Senate]
[Page 30748]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                SOMALIA

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise to speak about the recent 
suicide bombing in Somalia and the broader security situation in that 
region. While our attention is necessarily focused on the wars in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, this latest bombing is a stark reminder that we 
cannot take our eye off of the Horn of Africa.
  Last week, Somalis had a reason to celebrate. The graduation of 
several medical students from a university in Mogadishu was a welcome 
glimmer of hope for the future. Unfortunately, a suicide bomber 
intruded, blew himself up, and killed more than 20 others, including 
three Ministers from the fledgling Somali transitional government. 
There is, seemingly, no end to the violence which has plagued Somalia 
for a generation.
  Somalia continues to lack a truly functional government, and for 
several years, we have watched the slow but steady development of 
extremism there. Though we support the development of a moderate 
government for Somalia, success is far from assured. The transitional 
government lacks control of significant parts of the country and 
struggles to provide the most basic services to the Somali people.
  The most significant challenge to the transitional government comes 
from extremist groups such as al-Shabab, a group of Islamist terrorists 
with deep roots in Somalia that came to prominence after the defeat of 
the Islamic Courts Union 3 years ago. As we have seen throughout the 
world, if there is a power vacuum, violent extremists will seek to fill 
it, and that is what is taking place in Somalia. Somalia cannot succeed 
while groups such as al-Shabab grow and thrive.
  Al-Shabab's future depends in no small part on support from outside 
the country. Al-Shabab gets new recruits from all over the world, it is 
strengthening ties to al-Qaida and the global jihadist network, it 
receives support from regional actors such as Eritrea, who use al-
Shabab as a proxy for its own interests. Al-Shabab will not be defeated 
while this outside support continues.
  For this reason, I hope that our administration will work hard to 
support and pass a draft resolution now circulating at the United 
Nations Security Council. Uganda, one of the Council's current rotating 
members, has drafted a resolution that addresses Eritrean support for 
Somali extremist groups, including al-Shabab. The resolution, which 
follows strong warnings to Eritrea from the U.S. and the African Union 
not to support al-Shabab, would ban weapon sales to Asmara, prohibit 
technical, financial and other assistance related to military 
activities, and freeze the assets of Eritrean political and military 
leaders as well as restrict their travel.
  Al-Shabab seeks to undermine any attempt to stabilize Somalia. A 
volatile Somalia jeopardizes the stability of the Horn of Africa 
region, which is itself important to security in Africa, the greater 
Middle East, and the rest of the world. Support for extremist groups 
such as al-Shabab is unacceptable, and as long as Eritrea provides arms 
to al-Shabab, there will be no chance for peace in Somalia. I hope that 
the Security Council can take up and pass this resolution soon, and I 
hope the United States will be a strong supporter of this effort. 
Somalia ought not be a safe haven for extremists or a playground for 
outside powers pursuing their own agendas. Though Somalia's future is 
far from clear, the Security Council should have no difficulty in 
agreeing on the need to take steps to cut al-Shabab's lifelines of 
outside support.

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