Analysis: Somalia at the Brink
Council on Foreign Relations
August 7, 2006
Prepared by: Eben Kaplan
While much of the world's attention has been focused on violence in the Middle East in recent weeks, another troublesome conflict is churning away in Somalia (BBC). This summer, fighters loyal to a group of Islamic courts rolled into Mogadishu, routing the warlords who had served as power brokers in the capital since Somalia's last stable government collapsed in 1991. The emerging fundamentalist leadership in the violence-plagued African nation has raised U.S. fears (Newsweek) that Somalia could become a haven for terrorists much like Afghanistan was.
Aside from the Islamists, several other players—explained in a new Backgrounder—have a stake in the outcome of Somalia's power struggle. For instance, the Mogadishu warlords, calling themselves the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, appear to have received funding from the United States (WashPost). Ethiopia has reportedly sent troops (VOA) to protect the feeble transitional government, which, because of the lack of security in the capital, is located in the city of Baidoa. Power and Interest News Report summarizes the situation by saying, "As of now, it is the [Islamic courts] versus Ethiopia, with everyone else on the sidelines."
Eritrea, a longtime rival of Ethiopia, certainly hopes to enter the fray. Eritrea is believed to be responsible for the arrival in Mogadishu of a cargo jet suspected of bringing arms to the Islamists (BBC). Terrorism analyst Douglas Farah writes in his blog that the mysterious jet is likely linked to the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.
Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
