Can Somalia Rise Again?

By Farah Aw-Osman

Sometimes I ask myself a painful question: how did a people with one language, one religion, one culture, and one ethnicity end up becoming one of the longest collapsed states in the world?

The truth is, Somalia did not collapse in one day, and it did not collapse because of one clan or one leader alone. We slowly destroyed our country with division, tribalism, greed, bad leadership, corruption, and by placing clan interests above national interests.

When Somalia became independent in 1960, our parents and grandparents believed they were building a strong nation. Somali nationalism was powerful. People believed in Soomaaliweyn, unity, dignity, and a shared future. But somewhere along the way, we lost direction. Instead of building strong institutions and fair governance, politics became about clan balance, power, and access to resources. Over time, many people began believing that whoever controls the government controls the wealth, jobs, contracts, security, and opportunities of the country.