A subservient Africa is precisely what the western world needs, in order to fill its own pockets, no matter what the cost. There is no dearth of examples, where one gets to see a definite pattern of loot and plunder of a country, whose only fault is being resource-rich.
The problem increases manifold when the very government chosen to look after the interests of its people, loses its integrity and decides to present the country on a platter before the neo colonists vultures, waiting to dig their claws in.
The present Somalian government under the leadership of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has finalised a controversial $7m (£6.2m) oil-production-sharing deal with the US firm Coastline Exploration, after several amendments to the original agreement. The deal in question covers seven oil blocs and will first begin with oil exploration. One must not forget that this is the same Somalia that is located in the Strategic Horn of Africa region, having open access to the Bab-el-Mandeb strait and the Indian Ocean, through which major ‘Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs) pass, thereby making it a strategic stronghold.
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Somalia has been indexed by several western agencies to be one of the poorest countries in Africa despite being so rich in resources. The people of Somalia are yet to encash upon their resources. The country is ravaged by the ISIS-affiliated Al- Shabab which is wreaking havoc in the country.
Where there is oil, the west particularly the USA has to come into the picture. The US firm Coastline had tried to strike a deal with the former government as well, but their former president saw through the evil intentions of USA and cancelled the deal in February 2022. The former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble claimed the deal to be illegal and thus assured the people that he would protect their resources as well as their interests.
Little did the people know that a change in the country’s leadership would compromise their interests and expose them to a parasite called the USA, which believes in nothing but sapping out the resources of a country. The present president of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is practically a puppet of the west, who acts according to the whims and fancies of his western masters.
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In his bid to impress his western masters, he is not realising the fact that his country is being taken advantage of. Having Somalia under control with a puppet government in place would be a win-win situation for the west. In furtherance of its ulterior motives, the west is keeping the Al-Shabaab alive as a burning issue to justify its military presence in the country. Whenever the west notices Somalia trying to make its own decisions, such as joining the EAC, the west lets the terrorist activities flare up, to make the people believe that only the west can save them and no one else.
The EAC is emerging as a strong regional bloc with strong leaders such as Ruto and Museveni. The growth of EAC, is a direct challenge to the west, owing to EAC’s strong belief in African self-sufficiency be it in the context of economic development or self-sufficiency. Somalia too wants to be a member of this bloc, but in vain. Its application does not get accepted owing to its security concerns.
In the backdrop of reports such as Boko- Haram being a creation of CIA, the French being hand in glove with the jihadists of the Sahel region and the M23 rebels working on American support through Rwanda, the people of Somalia should question the presence of Americans on their soil as well as their real intentions. The government of Somalia is accountable to its people and it should maintain the standards of democracy if it claims to have assumed office based upon the popular mandate of the people.
It is not wrong to align with countries that have the means to help your countries grow, but the relationship should be symbiotic. When the relationship turns to one exploiting the other to the hilt, then it spells bad news for the one at the receiving end. With the dawn of the African century round the corner, it is important for Somalia to wake up from its naïve slumber and take the reigns into its own hands to tread upon the path of development on its own terms.
