FACTBOX-Somalia, a country torn apart

Medeshi 22 August , 2008
FACTBOX-Somalia, a country torn apart
The death toll from the worst fighting in southern Somalia for months rose to 70 on Friday. Residents said most of Kismayu was now under the control of Islamist insurgents from the al-Shabaab group after two days of clashes.
(An injured man rests on a pavement following heavy artilery shells outside Bakara market in Mogadishu, August 21, 2008. )
The Horn of Africa country has had no effective government since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other. Here are some details on aspects of the conflict.
ISLAMIST RULE:
In June 2006, Islamist militia called the Somalia Islamic Courts Council seized Mogadishu after defeating U.S.-backed warlords. Washington accused the Islamists of al Qaeda links.
With tacit U.S. approval, Somalia's neighbour Ethiopia sent troops to defend the government against an Islamist attack on Baidoa in December 2006. The force advanced rapidly, taking Mogadishu and driving the Islamists to Somalia's southern tip.

INTERIM GOVERNMENT:
Lawmakers had elected warlord Abdullahi Yusuf president and Ali Mohamed Gedi prime minister to run the 14th attempt at government since the fall of Barre. They entered the capital after the fall of the Islamists.
Gedi resigned in October 2007 and was succeeded by Nur Hassan Hussein as prime minister, but a rift has also opened between Yusuf and Hussein.
BLOODSHED AND HUNGER:
Violence in Somalia has killed over 8,000 people since the beginning of 2007 and uprooted 1 million. The U.N. says 3.5 million people may need food aid later this year but donors have only funded about a third of a $637 million aid appeal.
The African Union has said it is incapable of stabilising Somalia through its African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and urged the United Nations to take over the force. The AU had wanted an 8,000 strong force, but only has 2,600 from Uganda and Burundi. Nigeria has said it will send 850.
PEACE DEAL IN DOUBT:
The government signed a peace deal with some opposition figures on Tuesday. The deal, initialled in June, called for the rapid deployment of U.N. peacekeepers.
But the agreement was rejected by Islamist Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who now says he represents the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. The deal was also rejected by the rebels and other opposition hardliners.


Source : Reuters

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