Agreement between India and Somalia on transfer of sentenced persons

• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and subsequent ratification of the Agreement on Transfer of sentenced persons between Indi and Somalia.
• Signing the Agreement with Somalia shall facilitate the Indian prisoners imprisoned in Somalia or vice-versa to be near to their families, for serving remaining part of their sentence and shall facilitate their social rehabilitation.

Analysis:

• Somalia is located on the Horn of Africa, bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the west and Kenya to the southeast. It has the longest coastline in Africa.
• Somalia’s 10 million populations is largely homogenous with respect to religion and language.
• After the outbreak of civil war in 1991, a multinational United Task Force (UNITAF) was deployed ahead of the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) till 1994 followed by the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers in 1995.
• Indian peacekeepers served with distinction in both UNITAF and UNOSOM. Indian traders have been trading with the Horn of Africa since ancient times.
• In 1940s- 50s many Indians were recruited by Italians to work on their plantations in Somalia, mainly around Qoryoley. Other Indians established businesses in Somalia. It is estimated that there were nearly 200 Indian families in Somalia, mainly engaged in cloth dying in Mogadishu and Merka. Indian families in Kismayo left for Mogadishu in the early 1980s. After 1991 most Indians left Somalia, many relocating to Mombasa in Kenya.
• During 2014-15, India-Somalia trade was US$ 391.05 million showing more than 51% increase over the figure of US$ 257.27 million during 2013-14.
• Somalia qualifies for India’s offer of unilateral duty free tariff preferential market access for export of goods and services to India. The scheme, introduced in 2008, offers duty free access to exports from LDCs on 84% of India’s tariff lines and preferential access for another 9%.

By: Vishal