Welcome, colleagues, to the 83rd meeting of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights.
Today is the first of two meetings on the human rights situation in Somalia. We were all shocked by the horrific October 14, 2017 truck bombing in Somalia that claimed the lives of 358 people, and the October 28, 2017 bombing in Mogadishu that claimed 27 lives, perpetrated by the terrorist group al Shabaab.
For decades, the Somali people have endured awful violations of their fundamental rights and freedoms and lived in a perpetual state of insecurity, including famine. With the 2016 elections and the international community's re-engagement, there is a sense of hope for a more peaceful future in Somalia, but clearly the situation is still extremely precarious. It is in this context that the Subcommittee on International Human Rights is holding these hearings.
Before us today are Professors Ken Menkhaus and Ian Spears. Professor Menkhaus is from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. He has published extensively on Somalia, including on conflict analysis, state collapse, terrorism, and humanitarian access.
Professor Spears comes to us from the University of Guelph. He has examined civil wars in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Angola. His book, Civil War in African States: The Search for Security, examines conflict resolution techniques and their prospect in the context of the war-fighting strategies of belligerents.
Gentlemen, I invite you to make your opening remarks, beginning with Professor Menkhaus, and then we will proceed to questions by members of the subcommittee.
Thank you very much.