This week in thePanel’s ‘Exploring the Horn of Africa’…

In lead up to the October 1st event we are discussing the challenges and opportunities that exist in the Horn of Africa. This week we debated capital city relocation in South Sudan, Transitional Justice, Somalian Piracy, and the role of the Somali-Canadian community.
 
Below are excerpts from this weeks’ articles…


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The Politics of Capital City Relocation in South Sudan

by Emily Savage @emiliesavage
Shortly after the South Sudanese independence referendum in January 2011, the then Government of South Sudan confirmed loose plans to move the national capital from Juba to Ramciel, a sparsely populated area 650 kilometers north of Juba. Proponents of the move suggest that relocating the capital to the geographic centre of the country would provide more equal opportunities for citizens to access the capital while attracting businesses and services to more isolated regions. Read More…
 

Canada and Transitional Justice: A Paradox

by Sean Zohar
Countries in the Horn of Africa have embraced Truth & Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) to redress the systematic violation of human rights within conflicts. The article explores if TRCs and other mechanisms to achieve transitional justice in post-conflict Africa are a coherent policy objective within broader Canadian foreign policy. If Canada is only rhetorically committed at home to our TRCs, what credibility does Canada hold in exporting such processes to countries in the Horn of Africa? Read More…

 

Somalian Piracy as the Result of State Failure

by Jesse Comeau @jessecomeau
Piracy in Somalia is one of many consequences of a failed state, rampant with both poverty and those who seek to exploit it. Piracy, at least within the context of Somalia, is not a political statement, but is purely a pursuit of wealth. Although security measures are quoted as helping to reduce the attacks, they are extremely expensive for the international community. Lack of economic opportunity cannot be the primary reason for piracy in Somalia; instead it is the overall collapse of state apparatuses, also known as state failure.
Read More…

 

Canada’s Role in Somalia and the Power of its Citizens

by Abdullah Abdi abdullah.abdi@carleton.ca 
Canada has long prided itself as a responsible global actor that prompts positive change around the world. Canadians should be able to trust that their government directs this assistance to recipients based on sincere need, however with encroaching commercial interests, this is not always the case. Due to difficultly in measuring development effectiveness in the complicated Somalia, the Canadian government is hesitant to get involved. However, Somalia-Canadians, the largest African group in Canada, are taking on the responsibility themselves with fundraising, remittances and establishing NGOs. The Canadian government needs to start harnessing the power of its citizens as it re-establishes relations with the country. Read More…

 

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