Leader's exit puts Somalia in limbo

Resignation offers faint hope of more inclusive rule in fractured African nation, or power grab by militants.
Stephanie McCrummen / Washington Post
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf resigned Monday, conceding that Islamist insurgents had overtaken much of the country and that he had been unable to unite the perpetually fragmented Horn of Africa nation. "Most of the country is not in our hands," Yusuf said in a speech before parliament in the town of Baidoa, describing the nation as "paralyzed." The 74-year-old leader was accused by his opponents of ruling like a warlord, encouraging clan divisions and blocking a U.N.-backed political settlement that many now see as a long-shot hope for salvaging Somalia's first central government since 1991. more..http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081230/NATION/812300324
New year heralds new Somali fears
Many soldiers loyal to Somalia's recently resigned President Abdullahi Yusuf have been fleeing the capital.
"I sold my gun and left Mogadishu on Sunday after I realised President Yusuf was going to resign," said 28-year-old Farah Abdi.
He is heading back to Mr Yusuf's semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the north because as a government soldier, he said, he would be a target "if the insurgents take the town". more..http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7803564.stm