Developing countries face many challenges that have evolved from the civil war that took place many years ago. Somalia, a famous country in east Africa, has been associated with the civil war. As a result of the war, the country now faces political instability, power abuse, and a broken governing system dating back to 1991. Conflicts in Somalia have profoundly affected the development of the country’s economy. As a result of the war, the country now faces political instability, power abuse, and a broken governing system dating back to 1991. This war started after Sad Barre, the dictator's leader, was overthrown, followed by a declaration of independence by both the Italians and British colonialists. Up to date, Somalia has lacked an excellent governing system and suffers from both economic and social instability.
However, another civil war emerged in 2009 that led the Somali people to migrate from their country to seek refuge. Furthermore, over 15 peace conferences have been held to restore peace in Somalia but have been dissolved without achieving consensus. International bodies have also tried to dissolve the Somali civil war and bring peace, but unfortunately, they have lost their army and troops. A good example is the UN peacekeeping mission, which tried to maintain peace and distribute food. Through their civil war, the Somalis have gained a bad reputation as a country. For example, Somalia is known as the worst country to survive as a woman or a child.
This article discusses further the effects of the Somali civil war, which have led to, first, Bantu discrimination and bias. Second, rampant cases of theft and sexual assault on women resulted from the civil war in Somalia. Third, there are religious disputes between the migrated Somalis and the citizens of other countries that offer refuge. Much social retardation, poor economic growth, and low growth and development rates are the results of the civil war in Somalia. So, because of the civil war, thousands of Somalis have fled to Kenya as refugees.
The Somali civil war included the annihilation of the Bantu people. According to research, the Breed-led administration plans to replace Bantu territory with their clan. However, the plan failed when rebel groups formed militias against him. Consequently, the president fled the country. Instead, his clan, the Darood, who were at the center of the war, provided the Bantus with a lifeline. President Barre, General Aidid, the warlord and militia leader of Somalia, and their respective clans, Darood and Hawiye, appeared to disregard the Bantus. They did everything in their power to weaken, kill, and reduce the Bantu population. The only way out for them was to vacate their premises and look for other places to shelter their families.
Thus, many Bantu fled their homes in Somalia and made their way to the Kenyan border. The trip lasted between two and four weeks. Many of them perished on the journey due to hunger, and others were killed by wild animals. The only food available to them along the way was tree leaves. They relied on rain to provide water for cooking and drinking. However, the water they used was muddy and harbored diseases. They overcame numerous disorders, like malaria and others, which spread all over Somalia. There was a quota for Bantu in the Kenyan healing centers. Many Bantus succeeded in reaching Kenya, but they faced many hardships during this journey.
In the United Nations camps, the Bantu Somalis were treated with disdain. In 1991, a significant portion of the Bantu Somalis and other Breed Somalis gathered in the UNHCR refugee camps called Dadaab. The UN divided them into three distinct camps, known as Ifo, Dagahaley, and Hagadera. The reason was that there were too many to fit in one place. The Bantus of Somalia settled down and expected to find peace in the United Nations camps. However, after a few years in the camps, similar issues to those they had faced in Somalia emerged. There were rampant cases of theft and sexual assault against women. These crimes usually happened at night and also when the Bantu women went into the woods to gather firewood. The Somali Breed clans perpetuated the animosities in the camp against the Bantu people. It reveals that the Breed people held a deep hatred for the Bantus to the extent that they continued attacking them in the camps. Thus, the Bantu Somalis faced many security issues in the United Nations camps.
Indeed, the physical attacks on the Bantu Somalis did not stop when they left Somalia. When the assault and harassment kept on expanding in the refugee camps, the camps’ chieftains decided to solicit aid from the UNHCR. The leaders of the camps, who presented the Bantus’ grievances, wanted the Commission to provide them with security by relocating them to a safer place. To the Bantus' surprise, the people in charge of the camps for the Commission turned down their request to move. The dismissal of their petition prompted the leaders to go the extra mile and contact the Australian authorities through a memo, which failed. The Bantus then reached out to the US authorities.
In 1998, the Bantus’ hopes were restored, and the US government addressed their grievances. The government reached an agreement, helping to resettle around 12,000 families of Bantu refugees. The United States of America made history since it had never before resettled such a vast number of refugees from Africa. The US identified the Bantus in Somalia as a continually suffering community prone to physical abuse and racial discrimination.
The US government agreed to give shelter to a large number of the Bantu Somalis, a move that was unexpected by the Breed Somali community. When the Breed people heard the news, they were shocked at first, and then they attempted to persuade the Bantu not to travel to America. When the Bantu inquired as to why, the Breed people explained that it was a Christian nation that would lead their children away from Islam. The Bantu did not agree with them the second time because they did not wish to fall into the same trap twice.
As soon as the Breed people realized their ruse had failed, they began negotiating a truce with the Bantus. They pleaded with the Bantu to intermarry with them so that they could travel to the United States. However, the Bantu, who were determined to escape the Breed chaos and begin a new life, turned down the offer. The rejection of the proposal prompted the Breed people to risk their lives in opposition to the United States' decision to permit the Bantu to emigrate. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was required to intervene in order to quell the violence. This resulted in the Bantu settlement of another Kenyan camp. In 2000, a major relocation camp named Kakuma was established. The Bantu were to remain in the camp for three years before departing the United States. This move by the IOM was inconvenient for the Somali government because the government could not explain the departure of the Bantus. In particular, the government of Somalia was locked out of the planned departure of the Bantus to the US.
In conclusion, civil war conflicts in Somalia caused many Bantus to migrate to Kenya. The civil war in Somalia in the 1990s played a significant role in shaping the lives of Somalia’s following generations; it affected the Bantu population the most. The poor conditions the Bantu Somalis faced after the war culminated in their quest for liberation. The Bantus were physically discriminated against due to their differences. Their different looks marked them as enemies of their counterparts. Through their leaders, the Bantus sought help from various European authorities, but to no avail. After contacting the US authorities, they finally got help. Though the aid came at a cost, the Bantus settled in Kenya at the Kakuma camp, where they waited for their departure to the United States. The hardships the Bantus faced gave them the strength to pursue their freedom.
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