Somalia

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Official name: Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic
Area:
Government:
Official languages:
Monetary unit:
Cities:

DEMOGRAPHY
Population: 9 million
Population density:

ECONOMY
GDP (PPP):
per person:
</small>

LIFE & LIBERTY
HDI

Contents

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

[edit] Region

[edit] Climate

  • Principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons

[edit] Natural Resources

  • Somalia consists mainly of desert land. Less than 2% of its territory is arable, and less than 0.1% features permanent crops. It suffers from recurring droughts, frequent dust storms rainy seasons floods, contaminated water, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion and constant desertification.
  • What resources it has are principally mineral, including ores such as iron, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, and salt, as well as more valuable resources like uranium, natural gas and probably although unexplored oil reserves.
  • Its geographic position is in itself a strategic resource of a sort: Somalia's position in the Horn of Africa puts it right on the southern approaches to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. So far, however, only Somali pirates have been able to exploit this position to any economic advantage.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Peoples

Somali - 6 millions live in the country, 6,5 millions live in other countries.
Bantu
Afar - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Afar
Arab, Ta'izz-Adeni - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Arab%2C_Ta%27izz-Adeni
Dabarre - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Dabarre
Digil-Rahawiin - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Digil-Rahawiin
Jiddu - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Jiddu
Maay, Gosha - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Maay%2C_Gosha
Mushunguli - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Mushunguli
Tunni - http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Tunni

[edit] Provinces

  • Breakaway areas of Somalia:
Puntland, whose leaders in 1998 declared it to be an autonomous state, which is not recognized by any nation or international organization.
Somaliland is a de facto independent republic located in the Horn of Africa. However, it was not recognized by any other country or international organization.

[edit] Life

  • Traditionally 90% of the Somali population lived a nomadic pastoralist life (this has fallen to about 60% at present). Groups of men travelled through the desert with their camels and livestock. While traveling, they had to endure the hot sun, walk for months across vast distances and protect their animals from wild beasts. Somali men often possess great courage and boldness. Being a warrior has traditionally been one of their greatest ideals. It is in this setting that the Somali oral culture developed. Somali men are known for being poets and storytellers and they love to debate. These cultural aspects continue to be highly valued even in the growing urban centers.
  • Hard realities for Muslim men and families
  • Somalia has suffered from a complicated civil war for over 20 years. Traditionally, Somali men were the providers of their families basic needs. However, when the war erupted there were several hundred thousand deaths. Thousands more were maimed or exiled. Over the past decade, more than half a million people fled the war - many of them men. This has devastated the family structure and left many families fatherless. The involvement in fighting, the trauma and the life in refugee camps have destroyed the vitality, vision and hope of Somali men.
  • Some men have found a way to escape from the harsh realities of Somali life. Khat (Catha Edulis) is an evergreen shrub that grows in the highlands of Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen. Chewing the leaves of khat has a stimulating, narcotic effect, and like most drugs, khat is addictive and must be consumed daily. The majority of Somali men are addicted to khat, which has a huge influence on their life in Somali society. Men buy their khat at the market and then in the afternoon and evening, they meet with friends, drink tea and chew khat. Kept awake by the drug, men often come home late. Many children grow up seeing little of their fathers. The women are left responsible for the household chores, raising the children and providing for the family. Khat chewers suffer from various health problems, yet those who really suffer the most are their families. Men often spend most of their money on khat, yet their families go hungry.
  • Somalia is facing its worst drought for at least a decade. Many cattle are dying from the lack of water and this is contributing to nearly half the population suffering from malnutrition. Some 3.2 million of the population need life-saving food assistance. The UN indicate that humanitarian assistance to Somalia needs to begin quickly. Pray for this to happen and for the aid to get to the people who need it most. See for more details about the serious situation: U.S. Delays Somalia Aid, Fearing It Is Feeding Terrorists. Pray for the people there!

[edit] Economy

[edit] Government

  • The government of Somalia is characterized by political instability, if not anarchy, with most areas are in the hands of warlords. There has been no effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people. Pray for an end to this insanity and for a stable solution to emerge.
  • Somalia was once influential in the lucrative spice trade. There was great wealth there, but now it is one of the poorest countries in the world.
  • Warlords have terrorized the country, dividing it and conscripting young boys to carry out murders, extortions, and carnage. An entire generation of youth has had very little education and no chance to acquire skills for making a living. Even humanitarian workers face multiple obstacles and extortion by warlords to get supplies to starving and thirsty people. Piracy rules the surrounding seas, and ships have been warned to steer clear of Somalia's coast.
  • A provisional government is struggling to gain control, but it is being overshadowed both by the militias and by those who are fighting to make Somalia an Islamic state.
  • The Somali Cabinet voted to make Islam the basis of the country's legal system on Tuesday - 10 March 2009 - in a bid to undercut an increasingly fractured Islamic insurgency.
  • Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people.

[edit] History

  • 1960 - Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia.
  • 1969 - A coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule that managed to impose a degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades.
  • 1991 - After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy.
  • In May 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a constitutional democracy, including holding municipal, parliamentary, and presidential elections.
  • The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag.
  • 1993 - A two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored.
  • A two-year peace process, led by the Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the formation of an interim government, known as the Somalia Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs). The TFIs included a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA).
  • President YUSUF resigned late in 2008 while United Nations-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti.
  • In January 2009, following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government, Ethiopian military forces, which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Council of Islamic Courts (CIC), withdrew from the country. The TFA was increased to 550 seats with the addition of 275 ARS members of parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed, the former CIC and ARS chairman as president on 31 January 2009, in Djibouti. Subsequently, President SHARIF appointed Omar Abdirashid ali SHARMARKE, son of a former president of Somalia, as prime minister on 13 February 2009. The TFIs are based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), which outlines a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. However, in January 2009 the TFA amended the TFC to extend TFG's mandate until 2011. While its institutions remain weak, the TFG continues to reach out to Somali stakeholders and work with international donors to help build the governance capacity of the TFIs and work towards national elections in 2011.
  • July 2009: Deadly violence between government troops and al-Shabaab terrorists has forced more than 200,000 residents to flee the capitol city of Mogadishu since May, 2009. Eyewitness reports describe the nation's capitol of Somalia as a ghost town with some sections completely deserted. Militants have taken over many buildings – even hospitals. Those medical facilities not controlled by extremists are overwhelmed with victims from the ongoing violence. At least 50 military troops have been admitted since July 5, 2009. The United Nations has no way of knowing how many citizens are still trapped in Mogadishu, and are unable to attempt an escape to rescue them because of the war being waged in the streets. Refugee camps outside the capitol are overflowing and lack many basic necessities. Families face an agonizing choice, stay in streets where men fire mortars and machine-guns that have killed children asleep in their beds, or head out of town, where camps for the displaced are severely overstretched. One humanitarian aid group reports that half a million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are struggling to survive along the sides of the road leading from Mogadishu to the town of Afgoye. “It is freezing at night and sweltering by day, ” the group explains. “There is little food or water. Attacks are common.”

[edit] Crime

  • Piracy had been a trade that inspired many stories and legends of old, but it’s still with us. After several ships had been hijacked by pirates, and ransomed for huge fees by its owners, it seemed a new money making scheme was born. The waters between Yemen and Somalia became headline news when many ships fell victim to modern day pirates.

[edit] Religion

  • Somalia is comprised of 99.9% Muslims and only 0.1% of the population are Christians. The country has an entirely Muslim population and in some areas Shari’a law is implemented. Existing churches are permitted by the government so long as do not evangelize Muslims. All Muslim children, by law have to attend Islam classes in school.

[edit] Islam

  • “To be Somali is to be Muslim” Among Somalis it is a commonly held idea that, “All Somalis are Muslim and if there are any Somalis who say otherwise they are only being paid to do so.” Even Somalis who are not particularly devout in their practice of religion will claim allegiance to Islam. Although there is a growing number of Somali young people being trained in Islamic theology, the main barrier to believing the Good News among the Somalis is not so much a theological barrier as it is the societal view that, “To be a Somali is to be a Muslim”. Many people in Muslim majority countries have similar ideas and attitudes.
  • Questioning: On the other hand, all of the infighting and killing going on across clan lines among the Somalis in recent years has led to some questioning Islam. Some ask, “Why has Islam not kept us from killing each other?”. Other Somalis who have lived in Muslim societies, such as Saudi Arabia or the Gulf States, have experienced a certain amount of discrimination causing them to become more open to the Gospel. At the same time Somalis who were fairly nominal in their practice of Islam in Somalia (where they were “all Muslim”) often take more seriously their Islamic identity and practice when they come to the West. They do this as a means of coping with the feared loss of identity and contamination by the evil aspects of Western society.
  • Although the majority of the population are Muslim, the greed and fighting between Islamic groups has contributed to the civil war. Some people are turning to more radical Islamic groups but many are totally disillusioned with Islam. Pray that they would find Jesus and find a real, dynamic and consistent faith.

[edit] Buddhism

[edit] Christianity

  • Although the majority of the population are Muslim, the greed and fighting between Islamic groups has contributed to the civil war. Some people are turning to more radical Islamic groups, but many are totally disillusioned with Islam. Pray that they would find Jesus and find a real, dynamic and consistent faith.
  • Pray for the protection and safety of those delivering vital food aid and medical care.
  • The Somali church has been driven totally underground; some leaders have been named on a hit list for execution. Pray that God would protect them and that they would remain strong in their faith.

[edit] History

[edit] Churches

[edit] Church and State Relations

[edit] Persecution

  • On May 11, 2007, an Islamist Web sites attributed the kidnapping of two aid workers in Puntland to the aid workers having allegedly used the provision of assistance as a pretext for proselytizing. Similar claims were made against Ethiopians who the Islamists have stated were attempting to Christianize the country as part of their military occupation. On September 17, 2006, Leonella Sgorbati, an Italian nun, was killed at a hospital in Mogadishu by gunmen, hours after a leading Muslim cleric, Sheikh Abukar Hassan, condemned Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks on Islam and violence. Hassan declared, “Whoever offends our Prophet Muhammad should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim.”
  • Members of the Islamic extremist organization Al-Shabaab had kidnapped Fatima Sultan, Ali Ma'ow, Sheik Mohammed Abdi, and Maaddey Diil on July 27 from their coastal town of Merca, 56 miles from Mogadishu, and eventually beheaded the Christians after they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. The four Christians had been working for a local NGO that helps orphans in southern Somalia.
  • "Al-Shabaab has once again demonstrated its utter disregard for the dignity of human life. It is high time for the international community to take robust measures to end the heinous crimes that Al-Shabaab and other extremist groups are committing against the people of Somalia." When they refused, all four were beheaded for apostasy and news of their deaths was passed along to their families on Aug. 4 by a junior Al-Shabaab militant who called himself "Seiful Islam" ("the Sword of Islam"). He also told the families that the bodies will not be given to them "as Somalia does not have cemeteries for infidels," according to a report received by the ICC. A Somali church leader who monitors the persecution against the Somali Church described the latest beheadings as a desperate attempt to "purify" Somalia by eliminating all Christians from what the Al Qaeda linked terror group considers an Islamic Republic. Though Islamists in Somalia have been known for carrying out ruthless attacks against the country's Christian minority, the majority of Muslims in Somalia are also the "victims of Al-Shabaab's cruelty," said ICC’s Racho in his organization’s report of the latest incident. They do not support their ideology or practices.
  • Last year alone, members of the group killed more than a half dozen Somali Christians, and last month, Al-Shabaab beheaded seven people in the southwestern town of Baidoa after accusing them of converting to Christianity and spying for the transitional federal government of Somalia.
  • The Voie of the Martyrs estemates that 500 Christians have been killed since 1995 - a significant number, consondering that Christians are less than one procent of the population. The extremist group Al-Shabaab aims to clean Somalia from Chrisrians. The believers who have survived face daily fear, disrimination and isolation.
  • Fourteen influential sheiks representing the mayor clans have signed a memorandandum stating that Somali Christians have abandoned Islam and must be killed, they cannot inherit, their marriages to spouses must be dissolved; they should forfeit their Somali identy and when they die, cannot be buried in Somali soil.
  • The Somali church has been driven totally underground but many Christians have died for their faith and witness this year. Pray that God would use the sufferings and witness of these courageous believers to extend His Kingdom and build His Church.

[edit] Mission

[edit] Broadcasting

  • Pray that God will break the Somalis of their pride and usher in a time of spiritual refreshing that will lead them to Christ. Pray that Somalis will come to recognize their need for Jesus and turn to Him for healing and forgiveness. Pray that SIM International's weekly short-wave radio program, "Voice of New Life," will lead many Somalis to Jesus.

[edit] Councils and Networks

[edit] Persecution

  • Plagued by political instability, if not anarchy, there is no constitutional or legal protection of religious freedom in Somalia. Islam is the official religion, and social pressure is strong to respect Islamic tradition, especially in some rural areas. At least six Christians were killed for their faith in 2006. Most had Islamic backgrounds and were killed after this was revealed. An Italian nun was killed, possibly because of the Pope's comments about Islam. Some children of Somali Christian refugees who fled to Kenya have allegedly been kidnapped by Muslim relatives and taken back to Islamic institutions in Somalia for rehabilitation.

[edit] Future Trends

[edit] For More Reading

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