Somalian Justice

Over the summer, Somalia was at the top of the headlines of the world news. To go over a brief history from 2006 until the summer of 2009, the "War in Somalia" was happening in Somalia. To contest Somalian territory, the Ethiopian army invaded Somalia. The Somalian government, after the Ethiopian army retreated, was determined to excel in authoritative power. However,  an anti-government militia called al-Shabab had a mission  (and currently still is) to destroy any signs of governmental authority.  The Somalian government was severely weakened by this militia. Today, the Somalian government is looking to rebuild authority and promote justice in their community. However, al-Shabab won't go away. There still is a constant battle for authority between the two groups. Somalian citizens face many hardships due to the rule of two governing bodies.

This directly correlates to Hobbes' text Leviathan. According to Hobbes, to build a peaceful community and a governing body, communal fear must be present. Thus, when a community of fearful citizens comes together, they will naturally elect an individual or group of individuals to rule the community. However, since there is two groups (Somalian government and al-Shabab) present, the community doesn't know who to turn for power. This can be linked to Hobbes' work when he says, "The desires and other passions of man, are in themselves no sin. No more are the actions, that proceed from those passions, till they know a law that forbids them: which till laws be made they cannot know: nor can any law be made, till they have agreed upon the person that shall make it" (Hobbes). Hobbes states for there to be order, a leader must be present. Somalia, without a clear leader, has no order at all.

Many examples of this disorder can be seen in Somalia. Half of the country will be controlled by the Somalian government one day, and then the next day it will be controlled by the al-Shabab militia. Thus, citizens don't know who to turn to for help. They are left to be completely independent and self-governing. This self -governance can be seen during cases such as murder. The community follows the famous "eye for an eye" rule. When someone is killed, the family of the deceased gets to determine the outcome of the killer.

With these mixed legal systems, Somalia will never be able to experience normative justice. For the benefit of the government and the citizens, one authority must be chosen. However, when the citizens see an extremely corrupt government and an abusive militia, which one will they choose?

Sources

Hobbes, Thomas. "Chapter 13. Of The Natural Condition Of Mankind As Concerning Their Felicity, And Misery."                   Leviathan. N.p.: n.p., 1651. 113. Print.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/somalia.htm