Australian Force Somalia: 1992-1993 by Bob Breen

Author:Bob Breen [Breen, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Non-Fiction, History, War, Civil War, Military, Military History, Africa, Australia, Somalia, Illustrated
Publisher: Big Sky Publishing
Published: 2022-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

SORTING OUT THE BAY PROJECT WATERPOINT

Hundreds of Somali women, accompanied by their young children and often carrying a baby slung on one hip, would gather at water points in Baidoa every day. One of the primary sources of clean water was the Bay Project, a deep well dug by an aid agency. The women and children would queue for several hours to fill plastic containers, carrying one on their head and lugging two others back to their families. Somali males would also gather at water points, armed with knives and other weapons, and extort money and sex from selected women. The Australians did not have sufficient personnel to guard these water points or the Bay Project 24 hours a day to prevent these criminal activities. Arguably, this distressing situation for innocent women and children was a local law-and-order issue for the police and the clan and tribal eldership of Baidoa, rather than the Australian peacekeepers.

The best the Australians could do to relieve the pressure on these vulnerable women was to ensure that as many patrols as was practicable included water points along their patrol routes. Typically, Australian patrols would search all Somali males in the vicinity of water points for weapons as a deterrent measure. Indeed, weapons confiscation was a significant part of the contest between Somali males and Australian patrols. Australians were also authorised to confront Somalis they observed carrying weapons and disarm them, demonstrating their

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