“Horn of Africa: Current Conditions and US Policy”

Introduction
Congressman Payne, sub-committee chairman, and Congressman Smith, ranking
member, I thank you both for the opportunity to share my assessment of the situation in
the Horn of Africa and its implications for US policy.
I would like to focus my remarks primarily on the crisis in Somalia, which at present is
the most worrisome of the region’s many troubles. My remarks will mainly address
challenges of state-building and the Transitional Federal Government, and will only make
brief reference to other urgent policy issues in Somalia related to the humanitarian crisis
and security threats. I would like to underscore at the outset that Somalia’s crisis is very
much a part of a regional conflict complex. US policies aimed at resolving the Somali
crisis must be based on a regional strategy or they will not succeed.Read the full Report