Somalia in ‘state of emergency’

June 22, 2:44 PMPhiladelphia Foreign Affairs ExaminerIvanley Noisette

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Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (AFP)

The President of Somalia Sharif Sheikh Ahmed declared his country “under a state of emergency” at a news conference in Mogadishu on Monday.

For six weeks, violence between government forces and opposition fighters has been increasing. Thousands of Somalis have fled their homes amid the explosion of conflict.

A leading hard-line opposition guerilla group- al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks including several suicide bombings.

One massive suicide car bombing on Thursday June 18 killed the country’s internal security minister, Omar Hashi Aden and Somalia’s former ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdikarin Farah Laqanyo.

The transitional government in Somalia has called for immediate intervention from the international community to help subdue the violence. The African Union has backed the calls by the Somali government for foreign intervention.

The African Union currently has 4,300 troops in Somalia protecting strategic sites. The forces are limited in that they can only respond self-defense if attacked, but cannot attack militia groups.

Sheikh Ali Mohamed Rage, an al-Shabab spokesperson, was quoted at a press conference on Sunday as saying, “We are sending our clear warning to the neighboring countries. Send your troops to our holy soil if you need to take them back inside coffins”

Al-Shabab, (“The Youth” in Arabic) has received increased media attention in recent months due to the disappearance of a number of Somali-American young men from their families in the US, after having been recruited by al-Shabab. The group is on the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations and is alleged to have ties to al-Qaida.

At the moment, few countries have shown a willingness to intervene in Somalia militarily.

Kenyan PM Raila Odinga pledged full support of for the transitional government in Somalia, but stopped short of a military commitment. Ethiopia has signaled that it will contribute troops only after a mandate from the international community.