An armed conflict pitting the government of Somalia against al-Shabab terrorists is only adding to the African country's problems as it faces its worst drought in 40 years.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Human shields and drones, famine and terrorists andThat's the toxic cocktail that is Somalia today, stirred by a superpower struggle clothed in diplomatic niceties from Washington and Beijing. A country where real agendas are hidden, Somalia has been struggling to find peace for decades and is now staring a lethal famine in the face.
Simply put, in areas where al-Shabab is operating, its militants are pushing villagers, mostly farmers, and their livestock off their land and forcing them into situations where their animals die of starvation in what the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees calls the worst drought the country has experienced in 40 years.
"We are witnessing a spike in the numbers of emaciated women and children visiting the health centers we support," Dubow said."It is unacceptable that more than half the population of Somalia will face acute food insecurity by June 2023 if no urgent funding is availed. Famine or no famine, more support is needed to save lives."
In return, Somalia has become the first East African nation to establish diplomatic relations with China, with Beijing creating a special envoy for the Horn of Africa. No such person has been appointed in Washington. , situated close to the vital Suez Canal, and with the longest coastline in Africa, as an essential part of its Belt and Road trade route.
And in the middle of the geopolitical fight is the aggressive cancer that is the terror group al-Shabab. It's arguably even more dangerous because, thanks to a sustained offensive from the country’s new government, the militants’ backs are against the wall.
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