The Society for Threatened Peoples STP (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker GfbV)has accused Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, of "a lack of realism” in his Somalia policy. "Instead of energetically fighting the causes of piracy off the Somali coast Berlin is practising empty activism in the training of Somali security personnel”, said the STP Africa consultant, Ulrich Delius. Yet past experience has shown on many occasions that there is no military solution for Somalia. "The European Union must urgently develop diplomatic initiatives to encourage a peaceful solution”, demanded Delius.

Experience drawn from previous training programmes for Somalia has shown that most of the newly-trained security men have been recruited after a few months by the warlords of the opposition. Even the civil training of security personnel – the training of policemen – is a source of conflict. Together with Italy Germany is providing financial assistance for the training of Somali police personnel in the neighbouring country of Ethiopia. Berlin is setting a fox to keep the geese. For Ethiopia’s government is under heavy criticism for massive violations of human rights both domestically and in Somalia. During its military occupation of Somalia December 2006 – January 2009) the Ethiopian army committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, which have still not been prosecuted. "Berlin’s energies are going in the wrong direction”, said Delius. "Instead of seeking contact with all political forces in the country Berlin is concentrating on the Somali provisional government, which has lost military control over large parts of the country.” The soldiers of the provisional government are ineffective and corrupt according to a United Nations report published in March 2010. "It is not new soldiers which Somalia needs, but above all more development and reconstruction”, said Delius. "Only with peace-talks and more assistance with reconstruction can the advance of radical Islamist militia be stopped and the increasing flood of refugees from Somalia reduced.” Since January 2010 more than 100,000 Somalis have fled from the violence in their home areas.

The humanitarian situation of the civilian population is becoming more desperate all the time.

Foreign Minister Westerwelle is this coming Sunday visiting Somalia’s neighbour Djibouti to obtain information on the involvement of the German navy in the fight against piracy of the coast of Somalia. Apart from this operation Atalanta Germany is supporting with 13 members of the armed forces in the framework of an EU project the training of 5,000 new Somali soldiers, which is to begin in Uganda in May 2010.

Ulrich Delius is available for further information at asien@gfbv.de.