DHOBLEY, Somalia, Oct 16 – After years of being ravaged by civil war, Somalia is gradually rising from the ashes, with the help of the African Union whose military and police units still patrol the Horn of Africa nation.
Soft power is being used to serve the humanitarian needs of the people to enable communities to thrive especially economically.
Despite the glaring threat of the Al-Shabaab insurgency, civilian-military coordination continues to play a key role in turning the fortunes of the once peaceful and vibrant nation.
The Dhobley Forward Operating Base (FOB), which is situated less than 20 kilometres from the Kenyan border inside Somalia, is no longer a shadow of its former self following years of Al-Shabaab control.
In fact, Dhobley is one of the model towns of an enviable renaissance masterplan as Somalia seeks to reintroduce its self fully to the global community.
Dhobley Economy Roaring Back To Life
On the ground, Dhobley town is abuzz with business booming. The streets are once again filled with people and vehicular traffic.
Over the last decade, the population of this border town has grown from a paltry 4,000 to over 30,000 human inhabitants.
“The business has been good and generally because of the peace and stability that has been improving,“ Jamila Bille Ibraham, an entrepreneur within Dhobley town said.
Jamilla has been a business person here for nearly 20 years. When she spoke to Shahidi News, she said though the ravages of war nearly brought the economic eco-system here to its knees as many fled to safer environments, security, and stability provided by AMISOM troops has been the difference between a ghost town and a thriving economic hub.
“I am very happy that KDF, AMISOM troops are here. Normally, Al-Shabaab threatens the peace here. Sometimes we are in need of relief food and hope residents can receive it when in need,” she said.
During this peacetime, she gets her stock from Mogadishu and Nairobi depending on her client’s needs and the prevailing market.
In order to keep the peace and attract investors here, a joint patrol initiative is conducted by the Kenya Defence Forces and Somali security forces. This stability has attracted business persons from far and wide with a significant number being from neighbouring Kenya who have come to seek greener pastures.
Abdullahi Yusuf, a Kenyan from Garissa county is a prime example of an entrepreneur who decided to risk it all, taking a huge risk and now reaping its rewards.
“When you compare conducting your business in Kenya and in Somali, to be honest, the latter is really profitable particularly since we are operating in a border town,” the Kenyan entrepreneur in Dhobley said.
With increased security, Abdullah now says he hopes to open an even bigger shop in the coming future.
“All we want is peace and security to be maintained here. We want the Kenyans and Somalia government to work together and ensure this dream is realized,” he said.
Dotted across the expansive town are other Kenyan entrepreneurs operating successful businesses. Andrew Mwinzi from Makueni county is the go-to welder in town commanding a huge clientele within the construction and furniture industry.
“I came here in 2019 and it is a decision I do not regret. I came here seeking an honest living and I found it, I am doing very well. I have specialized in making metal doors, gates, and even windows. During the time I have been here everything has been great,” Andrew Mwinzi, a welder in Dhobley said.
Several other Kenyans joined Andrew on his trip to Somalia saying they are now enjoying the fruits of their labour.
“I also came here to work. I work in the construction industry and I am doing very well. Compared to Kenya, what I earn here really helps me take care of all my responsibilities,”said Richard Musee.
KDF – Somali Security Cooperation
At the Dhobley police station, suspects detained for various crimes await their day in court. The ability to maintain law and order lies in the hands of security forces who have received both technical and infrastructure support from the AMISOM troops in the sector.
“We get a lot of support from the KDF with whom we work closely. We engage in joint patrols to ensure there is peace and security in this town. We also share information as we go out to patrol together within the town and in its outskirts,“ Ahmed Khalid, Officer Commanding Dhobley Police Station said.
The joint efforts of arresting criminal elements and battling insurgents see both KDF under AMISOM and local security teams enforce the law and maintain peace in nearby towns such as Bilis Qooqani, Afmadhow, among other areas.
The long-term solution is however to empower local law enforcement and security agencies to take over full operations of its affairs.
“Initially there was no police station here, the officer commanding police station was using a temporary structure in the area which was initially his office. KDF took up the initiative to construct the police station so as to improve the policing services of the police force here,” Major joseph Wire, KDF CIMIC Officer in Dhobley said.
With Al-Shabaab operatives constantly trying to infiltrate the area, troops stationed in the area are also working tirelessly with area political and religious leaders to ensure they are not radicalised or misled as the fight against terror is intensified.
“Other than kinetic warfare, we also undertake other activities to stabilise the operating environment, key leaders engagement like Imams, the youth and women groups because these people culturally have a lot of influence in the operating environment. For the youth, the narrative that is very appealing to them to join the Al- Shabaab and these are the people that we want to change their hearts and minds,” Brigadier Jeff Nyagah, Sector 2 Commander told Shahidi News.
At the Dhobley District Hospital, the young and old have gathered here eager to take advantage of a special eye clinic with several residents reporting complications with their sight.
Medical personnel said that cases in need of surgery or expert attention are referred to the relevant hospitals while those it can handle are treated at the Dhobley District Hospital.
“It’s not easy to quantify the number of patients we see per day, because we see them on a need basis. Sometimes we see zero and other times we can see up to 10. The common cases here are respiratory tract infections, snake bites, malnutrition especially in young children, malaria and bilharzia,” Major Eugene Konange, Clinical officer, Dhobley Level 2 Hospital said.
“Our collaboration with AMISOM is huge, we refer patients from here to the level 2 facility, and the doctor will tell you that any patient who is in serious condition and we cannot do much, we also move them to Mogadishu. Last year we trained midwives and currently, they are serving the women in the villages. Even now we want to train another group of midwives,” Hussein Abduallahi, Medical officer in charge of Dhobley District Hospital said.
At the level 2 hospital run by AMISOM, the facility was quiet when Shahidi News paid a visit, with medics saying the unpredictability of the clientele is dependent on referrals.
“The SNA troops are flown to a level three facility in Mogadishu. For the local community, we are lucky enough because we have been able to take care of all the cases that we have had since we took over as AMISOM 10, and for those cases that are beyond our capability, they have their referral system within the Somali government,” Lt. Col. Wilson Koech, Commandant, AMISOM Level 2 hospital said.
The facility also serves the KDF officers stationed in all the FOBs within the sector, Somali National Army forces troops injured while at the frontline, and United Nations civilian personnel working within the regions.
“We have been able to protect the local population so that they can continue to undertake social-economic activities. We have flights coming in direct from Mogadishu, Kismayo to Dhobley. Also, we have direct flights going into the Gedo region, in Bulla Hache. We have also been able to open up the main sully routes especially, from Dhobley, through Tabda, Belles qooqani , afmadhow upto Kismayo,” Brigadier Nyagah said.
Ten years into their peace enforcement service, the troops say that they are ready at any time when called upon to serve the nation of Somalia and its people in keeping the peace while also enabling the communities to thrive and make a living under the heat that sometimes characterizes the Somali skyline.
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