Holiday Roundup

As you may have noticed, I spent the holiday’s blog free. Therefore, I will now brief some of the main stories that I missed from both the media and blogs. In the likely case that I’ve missed something, please leave a comment. (note: I’m saving a separate post on Saddam Hussein’s hanging for later.)

The Somali War

As mentioned before, the horn of Africa has seen renewed fighting between the Union of Islamic Court (UIC) and the weak Transitional National Government (TNG). Before the TNG was only aided by neighboring Ethiopia. More recently, Ethiopia has increased it’s operations to include air attacks on UIC targets such as UIC controlled towns and villages and the main airports in Somalia.

The Fighting Begins in Somalia

A deadline imposed by Islamic forces under the command of the Union of Islamic Court (UIC) demanding the eviction of Ethiopian forces from Somali passed Tuesday. The “heavy fighting” was reported in and around the Transitional National Government (TNG) bases in Baidoa.

(BBC)

All Out War in the Horn of Africa Gets Closer

War will break out “any time now“, says Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf of the Transitional National Government (TNG). Players in the pending conflict are the Islamic forces of the Council of Islamic Courts against the TNG and ethopian forces (who are said to already be in Somalia). The US government is backing the TNG and Ethopia. Yosuf claimed “Al-Qaeda is opening up shop in Somalia” through the Council of Islamic Courts in a statement that coincides with a recent comment made by a US diplomat. The validity of this statement is questionable but I personally tend to agree.

Bill Roggio has much more on the possible relationship between Somali Islamists and al Qaeda…

Somalia and Ethopia Prepare to Face-off

Add this ominous and highly likely scenario to Sudan and Darfur and the Horn of Africa becomes one of the most unstable places on Earth. The combination of Islamists, failed states, oppression, and anti-Americanism and you get a volatile combination that has the potential to spawn regional and international conflict and possible terrorism.

The inevitability of war hangs over Mogadishu, Somalia’s bullet-pocked seaside capital. But unlike the internal anarchy that has consumed the country for 15 years, the looming battle is now with Ethiopia, threatening to further destabilize the troubled Horn of Africa.

In the past week the increasingly militant Islamists in control of Mogadishu and much of the rest of the country have begun a food drive, a money drive and an AK-47 assault rifle drive, and have sent doctors and nurses, along with countless young soldiers, to the front lines.

For its part, Ethiopia, with tacit approval from the United States, has been steadily slipping soldiers across the border, trying to hold off the Islamists and shore up Somalia’s weak, unpopular and divided transitional government.