    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [October 7, 1993]
    [Pages 1703-1706]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the Nation on Somalia
    October 7, 1993

        Today I want to talk with you about our Nation's military
    involvement in Somalia. A year ago, we all watched with horror as Somali
    children and their families lay dying by the tens of thousands, dying
    the slow, agonizing death of starvation, a starvation brought on not
    only by drought, but also by the anarchy that then prevailed in that
    country.
        This past weekend we all reacted with anger and horror as an armed
    Somali gang desecrated the bodies of our American soldiers and displayed
    a captured American pilot, all of them soldiers who were taking part in
    an international effort to end the starvation of the Somali people
    themselves. These tragic events raise hard questions about our effort in
    Somalia. Why are we

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    still there? What are we trying to accomplish? How did a humanitarian
    mission turn violent? And when will our people come home?
        These questions deserve straight answers. Let's start by remembering
    why our troops went into Somalia in the first place. We went because
    only the United States could help stop one of the great human tragedies
    of this time. A third of a million people had died of starvation and
    disease. Twice that many more were at risk of dying. Meanwhile, tons of
    relief supplies piled up in the capital of Mogadishu because a small
    number of Somalis stopped food from reaching their own countrymen.
        Our consciences said, enough. In our Nation's best tradition, we
    took action with bipartisan support. President Bush sent in 28,000
    American troops as part of a United Nations humanitarian mission. Our
    troops created a secure environment so that food and medicine could get
    through. We saved close to one million lives. And throughout most of
    Somalia, everywhere but in Mogadishu, life began returning to normal.
    Crops are growing. Markets are reopening. So are schools and hospitals.
    Nearly a million Somalis still depend completely on relief supplies, but
    at least the starvation is gone. And none of this would have happened
    without American leadership and America's troops.
        Until June, things went well, with little violence. The United
    States reduced our troop presence from 28,000 down to less than 5,000,
    with other nations picking up where we left off. But then in June, the
    people who caused much of the problem in the beginning started attacking
    American, Pakistani, and other troops who were there just to keep the
    peace.
        Rather than participate in building the peace with others, these
    people sought to fight and to disrupt, even if it means returning
    Somalia to anarchy and mass famine. And make no mistake about it, if we
    were to leave Somalia tomorrow, other nations would leave, too. Chaos
    would resume. The relief effort would stop, and starvation soon would
    return.
        That knowledge has led us to continue our mission. It is not our job
    to rebuild Somalia's society or even to create a political process that
    can allow Somalia's clans to live and work in peace. The Somalis must do
    that for themselves. The United Nations and many African states are more
    than willing to help. But we, we in the United States must decide
    whether we will give them enough time to have a reasonable chance to
    succeed.
        We started this mission for the right reasons, and we're going to
    finish it in the right way. In a sense, we came to Somalia to rescue
    innocent people in a burning house. We've nearly put the fire out, but
    some smoldering embers remain. If we leave them now, those embers will
    reignite into flames, and people will die again. If we stay a short
    while longer and do the right things, we've got a reasonable chance of
    cooling off the embers and getting other firefighters to take our place.
        We also have to recognize that we cannot leave now and still have
    all our troops present and accounted for. And I want you to know that I
    am determined to work for the security of those Americans missing or
    held captive. Anyone holding an American right now should understand,
    above all else, that we will hold them strictly responsible for our
    soldiers' well-being. We expected them to be well-treated, and we expect
    them to be released.
        So now we face a choice. Do we leave when the job gets tough, or
    when the job is well done? Do we invite a return of mass suffering, or
    do we leave in a way that gives the Somalis a decent chance to survive?
        Recently, General Colin Powell said this about our choices in
    Somalia: ``Because things get difficult, you don't cut and run. You work
    the problem and try to find a correct solution.'' I want to bring our
    troops home from Somalia. Before the events of this week, as I said, we
    had already reduced the number of our troops there from 28,000 to less
    than 5,000. We must complete that withdrawal soon, and I will. But we
    must also leave on our terms. We must do it right. And here is what I
    intend to do.
        This past week's events make it clear that even as we prepare to
    withdraw from Somalia, we need more strength there. We need more armor,
    more air power, to ensure that our people are safe and that we can do
    our job. Today I have ordered 1,700 additional Army troops and 104
    additional armored vehicles to Somalia to protect our troops and to
    complete our mission. I've also ordered an aircraft carrier and two
    amphibious groups with 3,600 combat Marines to be stationed offshore.
    These forces will be under American command.
        Their mission, what I am asking these young Americans to do, is the
    following:
        First, they are there to protect our troops and our bases. We did
    not go to Somalia with

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    a military purpose. We never wanted to kill anyone. But those who attack
    our soldiers must know they will pay a very heavy price.
        Second, they are there to keep open and secure the roads, the port,
    and the lines of communication that are essential for the United Nations
    and the relief workers to keep the flow of food and supplies and people
    moving freely throughout the country so that starvation and anarchy do
    not return.
        Third, they are there to keep the pressure on those who cut off
    relief supplies and attacked our people, not to personalize the conflict
    but to prevent a return to anarchy.
        Fourth, through their pressure and their presence, our troops will
    help to make it possible for the Somali people, working with others, to
    reach agreements among themselves so that they can solve their problems
    and survive when we leave. That is our mission.
        I am proposing this plan because it will let us finish leaving
    Somalia on our own terms and without destroying all that two
    administrations have accomplished there. For, if we were to leave today,
    we know what would happen. Within months, Somali children again would be
    dying in the streets. Our own credibility with friends and allies would
    be severely damaged. Our leadership in world affairs would be undermined
    at the very time when people are looking to America to help promote
    peace and freedom in the post-cold-war world. And all around the world,
    aggressors, thugs, and terrorists will conclude that the best way to get
    us to change our policies is to kill our people. It would be open season
    on Americans.
        That is why I am committed to getting this job done in Somalia, not
    only quickly but also effectively. To do that, I am taking steps to
    ensure troops from other nations are ready to take the place of our own
    soldiers. We've already withdrawn some 20,000 troops, and more than that
    number have replaced them from over two dozen other nations. Now we will
    intensify efforts to have other countries deploy more troops to Somalia
    to assure that security will remain when we're gone.
        And we'll complete the replacement of U.S. military logistics
    personnel with civilian contractors who can provide the same support to
    the United Nations. While we're taking military steps to protect our own
    people and to help the U.N. maintain a secure environment, we must
    pursue new diplomatic efforts to help the Somalis find a political
    solution to their problems. That is the only kind of outcome that can
    endure.
        For fundamentally, the solution to Somalia's problems is not a
    military one, it is political. Leaders of the neighboring African
    states, such as Ethiopia and Eritrea, have offered to take the lead in
    efforts to build a settlement among the Somali people that can preserve
    order and security. I have directed my representatives to pursue such
    efforts vigorously. And I've asked Ambassador Bob Oakley, who served
    effectively in two administrations as our representative in Somalia, to
    travel again to the region immediately to advance this process.
        Obviously, even then there is no guarantee that Somalia will rid
    itself of violence and suffering. But at least we will have given
    Somalia a reasonable chance. This week some 15,000 Somalis took to the
    streets to express sympathy for our losses, to thank us for our effort.
    Most Somalis are not hostile to us but grateful. And they want to use
    this opportunity to rebuild their country.
        It is my judgment and that of my military advisers that we may need
    up to 6 months to complete these steps and to conduct an orderly
    withdrawal. We'll do what we can to complete the mission before then.
    All American troops will be out of Somalia no later than March the 31st,
    except for a few hundred support personnel in noncombat roles.
        If we take these steps, if we take the time to do the job right, I
    am convinced we will have lived up to the responsibilities of American
    leadership in the world. And we will have proved that we are committed
    to addressing the new problems of a new era.
        When out troops in Somalia came under fire this last weekend, we
    witnessed a dramatic example of the heroic ethic of our American
    military. When the first Black Hawk helicopter was downed this weekend,
    the other American troops didn't retreat although they could have. Some
    90 of them formed a perimeter around the helicopter, and they held that
    ground under intensely heavy fire. They stayed with their comrades.
    That's the kind of soldiers they are. That's the kind of people we are.
        So let us finish the work we set out to do. Let us demonstrate to
    the world, as generations of Americans have done before us, that when
    Americans take on a challenge, they do the job right.

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        Let me express my thanks and my gratitude and my profound sympathy
    to the families of the young Americans who were killed in Somalia. My
    message to you is, your country is grateful, and so is the rest of the
    world, and so are the vast majority of the Somali people. Our mission
    from this day forward is to increase our strength, do our job, bring our
    soldiers out, and bring them home.
        Thank you, and God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:02 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White
    House.