After several years and numerous predictions foretelling the organization's imminent collapse, Somalia's TFG is slowly, but surely taking on the trappings of a real government. Here, the Somalia Report reports that the TFG is now less than a year from holding new elections and putting more permanent governance structures in place. More interesting from a naval perspective is the Benchmark for maritime security, which includes the establishment of a Somali Maritime Police Force and Coast Guard, anti-piracy legislation, establishment of EEZs, and maritime security cooperation with Puntland and Somaliland. Now, if only they could get over that little matter of Al Shabaab's control of most of Southern Somalia's ports.
Somalia's problems are broad and deep, but getting a handle on maritime security will go a long way in mitigating some of the worst of them, including al Shabaab (which will also enable famine relief), and of course, piracy.
The opinions and views expressed in this post are those of the author alone and are presented in his personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Department of Defense, the US Navy, or any other agency.
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