Johannesburg, South Africa — Human Shields and Drones, Famine and Terrorists, and China’s One Belt, One Road.
That is Somalia’s toxic cocktail today, fueled by a superpower struggle dressed in the diplomatic graces of Washington and Beijing. Somalia, a country whose true purpose is hidden, has struggled to find peace for decades and now faces a deadly famine.
Not content with simply terrorizing the population, al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist group closely linked to al-Qaeda’s terrorist movement, is now said to be actively and rapidly causing famine in Somalia.
“With international support, al-Shabaab is facing some pressure. ),” said Jasmine Opperman, a former intelligence agent who is now a major security agency. A consultant specializing in extremism and political violence told Fox News Digital.
US airstrike in Somalia kills 15 al-Shabaab fighters
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with former President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 31 August 2018.
(Roman Pilipey/Pool via Reuters)
Simply put, in areas where al-Shabab operates, militants displace villagers, mostly farmers and livestock, from the land, leaving animals to die of starvation in what the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees calls the worst drought. is pushing into The country has experienced in 40 years.
Somalia’s UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Magatte Guisse, told Fox News Digital that refugees “confirmed that they face protection risks posed by armed conflict: indiscriminate attacks, family separation, armed forces.” These include forced recruitment into groups, destruction of property, etc. In certain areas, aid agencies find it difficult to reach out to people affected by the drought.”
Observers point out that this means that al-Shabaab terrorists, perhaps unwittingly, are preventing government agencies from pinpointing the exact number of people who have already died of hunger. Some even say a famine may already exist in Somalia. Still, the official view, made with decidedly incomplete data, is that the death toll should reach famine levels within the next six months.
UNHCR’s Guisse told Fox News Digital Somalia that it was “on the brink of famine”. Severe food and water shortages have left his 7.1 million people in the country severely food insecure. Millions of people have been forced from their homes in search of life-saving humanitarian assistance. This year alone, drought has displaced more than 1.1 million people inside Somalia. UNHCR is a massive undertaking and this year he has assisted nearly half a million people in Somalia.
![President Biden addresses the US-Africa summit in Washington DC on December 15, 2022.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/12/640/320/president-joe-biden-africa-summit-2022.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
President Biden addresses the US-Africa summit in Washington DC on December 15, 2022.
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Ummy Dubow, Somalia’s deputy country director for programs at the aid agency CARE, which has helped more than 700,000 Somalis this year, told Fox News Digital that the organization is very concerned.
“We are seeing a surge in the number of emaciated women and children visiting the health centers we support,” said Dubow. “Without urgent funding, it is unacceptable that more than half of Somalia’s population will face severe food insecurity by June 2023. Famine or not, more aid is needed to save lives. Is required.”
![BAIDORE, SOMALIA - NOVEMBER 9: Malnourished Somali baby Adhan Macalin Ali (1) is being held by his mother Howo Abdi Addan after being measured at the Dhanwadaag Maternal and Child Health Center. November 9, 2022 in Baidoa, Somalia. As the number of people in need soars, the United Nations and Western relief agencies warn famine is coming if aid to the affected areas is not ramped up soon. Drought and insecurity have caused crop failures and the death of countless camels, cattle and goats that are the backbone of this pastoralist economy, resulting in people fleeing al-Shabaab-controlled areas to Baidoa. Since spring, it has doubled to about 900,000. Everyone needs food, water and sanitation. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/12/640/320/GettyImages-1440357763.jpg-somalia.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
BAIDOA, SOMALIA – NOVEMBER 9: Malnourished Somali baby Adhan Macalin Ali (1) is being held by his mother Howo Abdi Addan after being measured at the Dhanwadaag Maternal and Child Health Center. November 9, 2022 in Baidoa, Somalia. As the number of people in need soars, the United Nations and Western relief agencies warn famine is coming if aid to the affected areas is not ramped up soon. Drought and insecurity have caused crop failures and the death of countless camels, cattle and goats that are the backbone of this pastoralist economy, resulting in people fleeing al-Shabaab-controlled areas to Baidoa. Since spring, it has doubled to about 900,000. Everyone needs food, water and sanitation. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
((Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images))
The timing in May of the Biden administration’s announcement that Americans were being reinstated after President Trump withdrew his troops — the day after Somalia’s election results — has sparked suspicion among some.
After all, Somalia has oil. Seismologists claim that at maximum he has 30 billion barrels. It is also reported that American companies want to enter the market.
Somalia expects famine in several parts of the country in the coming months
But the US is catching up to indoor pandas. China has never stopped supporting Somalia, instead developing her more than 80 infrastructure projects such as hospitals and highways.
In return, Somalia became the first East African country to establish diplomatic relations with China, and Beijing created a special envoy for the Horn of Africa. No such person has been appointed in Washington. Beijing sees Somalia, which is located near the important Suez Canal and has the longest coastline in Africa, as an integral part of the Belt and Road trade route.
![A view of the damage after the explosion of a suicide vehicle targeting security forces in Mogadishu, Somalia, January 12, 2022.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/07/640/320/getty-al-shababb.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A view of the damage after the explosion of a suicide vehicle targeting security forces in Mogadishu, Somalia, January 12, 2022.
(Sadak Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Washington and Beijing are extruding vastly different views.
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital this week that “African countries, including Somalia, see themselves as partners in global and regional priorities.” “We are committed to continuing our support for Somalia and the African Union-led efforts to counter the threat posed by al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups.”
Xue Bin, China’s special envoy for regional affairs, claimed that “Chinese wisdom” suggested foreign countries such as the United States should withdraw, urging the Somali government to “remove outside intervention.” “We respect and support countries in the region to resolve their differences independently.” “
And in the middle of the geopolitical battle is the terrorist group Al-Shabaab, an aggressive cancer. It’s arguably even more dangerous with the militants’ backs against the wall thanks to sustained attacks by the country’s new government.
Analyst Opperman has concluded that al-Shabaab has recently lost control of 80% of Somalia’s south-central region.
“The government offensive is intense and continues to gain momentum,” Opperman said. “Shabaab is back to human shields and back to kidnapping.”
![Al-Shabaab terrorists conduct military exercises near Mogadishu, Somalia, 2011.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2020/01/640/320/al-shabab.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Al-Shabaab terrorists conduct military exercises near Mogadishu, Somalia, 2011.
(AP)
Somalia bombing: at least 100 dead in al-Shabaab terrorist attack
There are signs that some sectors of Somali society that were often quiet in the past are turning their backs on terrorist groups, sometimes in vicious ways. It promised a $30,000 bounty and amnesty for “members of al-Shabaab” and urged them to cut off the private sector of the militants.
Al-Shabab has become one of the richest terrorist groups in the world, extorting money from villagers and creating lucrative roadblocks that allow most to pass through, but at a high price. This prompted Somali President Hassan Mohamud to lash out at the supposedly faith-based organization at the recent US-Africa summit in Washington.
![People arrive at a displaced person camp on the outskirts of Dorou, Somalia, on September 19, 2022.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/12/640/320/Somalia-famine-issue.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
People arrive at a displaced person camp on the outskirts of Dorou, Somalia, on September 19, 2022.
(AP Photo/Jerome DeLay, File)
They are “hiding in untrue Islam,” Mohamud told delegations. “What they are promoting is not Islam and has nothing to do with Islam. They are a mafia group and cover themselves with Islam branding. I have no choice but to run away.”
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At the request of the Somali government, the US African Command claimed to have killed 15 al-Shabaab operatives in two drone strikes in the past week. A US operation involving about 450 US troops is helping government forces and the feared Danab Special Forces Group push back Al-Shabaab. However, armed groups still often overturn profits, with some villages changing owners multiple times.