Apr
25
History of Somalia (3) – Recent politics
April 25, 2008 | | Leave a Comment
By Emily Tsang
Mohamed Farrah Aidid, mentioned in the above article which focused on the history of “Black Hawk Down”, was later killed on Mogadishu in 1996.
In 2006, conflict broke out again between an alliance of Mogadishu warlords known as the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) and a militia loyal to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), seeking to institute straight Sharia law in Somalia.
Social law changes, such as the forbidding of chewing khat, and even the prohibition against watching movies and football in public, were part of moves by the ICU to change behaviours and impose strict social morals. Several hundred people, mostly civilians caught in the crossfire, died during this conflict. Mogadishu residents described it as the worst fighting in more than a decade. Suspect was that the CIA in American funded the ARPCT with arms in an effort to prevent the Islamic Courts Union from gaining power, but the US never officially admits that.
By early June 2006 the Islamic Militia had control of Mogadishu. The remaining A.R.P.C.T. forces fled into Ethiopia border. The Ethiopian border has now become a place of refuge for many Somalis. The Transitional Government backed by Ethiopia later claimed back Mogadishu on 28 December 2006. Yet up to now, the Transitional Federal Government and its Ethiopian allies still face frequent attacks from an Islamic insurgency.
In order words, Somalia has had no effective national government since 1991. The internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government, controls only parts of Southern Somalia and is not recognized by most Somalis. Many other small political organisations exist, some clan-based, others seeking a Somalia free from clan-based politics. Many of them have come into existence since the civil war.
Endless civil war between clans and warlord has made it hard, almost impossible, for the international communities to impose order with the country. The political situation therefore still remains highly unstable, and unlikely to be resolved any soon.
