Security and Military Sector Overview
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In 1991, President Siad Barre was overthrown by opposing clans that then failed to agree on a replacement and plunged the country into lawlessness and internal conflict. In 2004, after protracted talks in Kenya, the main warlords and politicians signed an agreement to establish a new parliament, which later appointed a President. However, the authority of the TFG is seriously challenged by the rise of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) which controls much of the south, including Mogadishu, after overpowering and removing warlords who had ruled the capital for 15 years.

The fledgling administration is in the process of setting up institutions in the town of Baidoa because the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) considered Mogadishu, the capital, to be unsafe.

For the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to exert authority it must have the physical means to do so. The United Nations Security Council has indicated its preparedness to selectively lift certain terms of the 1992 arms embargo if the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) develop a National Stabilisation and Security Plan (NSSP) and a detailed mission plan for a peace support operation.

At the initiative of UNPOS, a Security Sector Technical Working Group (SSTWG) was created as a forum for the international community and specialists from the TFG to exchange and discuss information in all areas of security sector reform (SSR) and to provide assistance at the request of the TFG for the development of the NSSP and other plans. Security Sector Reform would also need to include a detailed and coordinated disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) plan.

For sustainable economic and social development, the country needs a stable and secure environment. Unfortunately, given the present situation, this cannot be achieved through the TFG’s fledgling police service. Somalia does not have a national army and the TFG is looking to the international community and United Nations for support.