With the Islamists Al-Shahaab and the Islamic party killing AU peacekeepers and vowing to rout out President Sheikh Sharif’s nascent government, the Somali crisis has just entered another phase writes Monitor correspondent Abdul Kadir Khalif in SomaliaThe mortars exploding in Mogadishu have a recent precedent.A month ago, artillery shells preceded the arrival of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Islamist leader recently elected as President of Somalia. He was flying into Mogadishu for the first time as head of state and the shells were meant to hit Villa Somalia, the state house in the capital. The attack was not surprising at all considering the buildup of opposition to Sheikh Sharif.On February 3, a group of radical Islamists opted to join forces and aggregate their political vision against him. A Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) group affiliated with the Asmara-based exiled Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir formed the Xisbu Islaami (Islamic Party) after uniting with three other Islamist groups namely Mucaskarka Caanoole (Anole School), Somali Islamic Front and Ras Kamboni Brigade.
The declaration was communicated at a ceremony in Kismayu town, 500 kilometres south of Mogadishu.Dr Omer Iman Abubakar, a hardliner Islamist was chosen to lead the Islamic Party. Observers immediately pointed out that the group would be an obstacle in the way of Sheikh Sharif. (A Transitional Federal Parliament meeting in Djibouti on January 31 had elected him president.) Neutralising radical groupsBesides, Al-Shabaab, the Islamist movement that controls most of the Southern Somalia, is in no mood to support the man who was once the undisputed leader of the Islamist movement in Somalia. Confronting such formidable opposition is a task waiting, not only the new president, but also his choice for prime minister and the Cabinet. Many people expected the naming of Omar Abdirashid All Sharmarke on February 13 as prime minister and his endorsement by the Parliament a day later to tilt the balance in favour of the national unity government. Others wonder how President Sheikh Sharif, a local moderate Islamist and Sharmarke, a typical Diaspora Somali from North America could step out together to neutralise radical groups...more..The mortars exploding in Mogadishu have a recent precedent.A month ago, artillery shells preceded the arrival of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Islamist leader recently elected as President of Somalia. He was flying into Mogadishu for the first time as head of state and the shells were meant to hit Villa Somalia, the state house in the capital. The attack was not surprising at all considering the buildup of opposition to Sheikh Sharif.On February 3, a group of radical Islamists opted to join forces and aggregate their political vision against him. A Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) group affiliated with the Asmara-based exiled Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir formed the Xisbu Islaami (Islamic Party) after uniting with three other Islamist groups namely Mucaskarka Caanoole (Anole School), Somali Islamic Front and Ras Kamboni Brigade. The declaration was communicated at a ceremony in Kismayu town, 500 kilometres south of Mogadishu.Dr Omer Iman Abubakar, a hardliner Islamist was chosen to lead the Islamic Party. Observers immediately pointed out that the group would be an obstacle in the way of Sheikh Sharif. (A Transitional Federal Parliament meeting in Djibouti on January 31 had elected him president.) Neutralising radical groupsBesides, Al-Shabaab, the Islamist movement that controls most of the Southern Somalia, is in no mood to support the man who was once the undisputed leader of the Islamist movement in Somalia. Confronting such formidable opposition is a task waiting, not only the new president, but also his choice for prime minister and the Cabinet. Many people expected the naming of Omar Abdirashid All Sharmarke on February 13 as prime minister and his endorsement by the Parliament a day later to tilt the balance in favour of the national unity government. Others wonder how President Sheikh Sharif, a local moderate Islamist and Sharmarke, a typical Diaspora Somali from North America could step out together to neutralise radical groups...more..http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/features/New_Somali_President_guaranteed_nightmares_80869.shtml
The declaration was communicated at a ceremony in Kismayu town, 500 kilometres south of Mogadishu.Dr Omer Iman Abubakar, a hardliner Islamist was chosen to lead the Islamic Party. Observers immediately pointed out that the group would be an obstacle in the way of Sheikh Sharif. (A Transitional Federal Parliament meeting in Djibouti on January 31 had elected him president.) Neutralising radical groupsBesides, Al-Shabaab, the Islamist movement that controls most of the Southern Somalia, is in no mood to support the man who was once the undisputed leader of the Islamist movement in Somalia. Confronting such formidable opposition is a task waiting, not only the new president, but also his choice for prime minister and the Cabinet. Many people expected the naming of Omar Abdirashid All Sharmarke on February 13 as prime minister and his endorsement by the Parliament a day later to tilt the balance in favour of the national unity government. Others wonder how President Sheikh Sharif, a local moderate Islamist and Sharmarke, a typical Diaspora Somali from North America could step out together to neutralise radical groups...more..The mortars exploding in Mogadishu have a recent precedent.A month ago, artillery shells preceded the arrival of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Islamist leader recently elected as President of Somalia. He was flying into Mogadishu for the first time as head of state and the shells were meant to hit Villa Somalia, the state house in the capital. The attack was not surprising at all considering the buildup of opposition to Sheikh Sharif.On February 3, a group of radical Islamists opted to join forces and aggregate their political vision against him. A Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) group affiliated with the Asmara-based exiled Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir formed the Xisbu Islaami (Islamic Party) after uniting with three other Islamist groups namely Mucaskarka Caanoole (Anole School), Somali Islamic Front and Ras Kamboni Brigade. The declaration was communicated at a ceremony in Kismayu town, 500 kilometres south of Mogadishu.Dr Omer Iman Abubakar, a hardliner Islamist was chosen to lead the Islamic Party. Observers immediately pointed out that the group would be an obstacle in the way of Sheikh Sharif. (A Transitional Federal Parliament meeting in Djibouti on January 31 had elected him president.) Neutralising radical groupsBesides, Al-Shabaab, the Islamist movement that controls most of the Southern Somalia, is in no mood to support the man who was once the undisputed leader of the Islamist movement in Somalia. Confronting such formidable opposition is a task waiting, not only the new president, but also his choice for prime minister and the Cabinet. Many people expected the naming of Omar Abdirashid All Sharmarke on February 13 as prime minister and his endorsement by the Parliament a day later to tilt the balance in favour of the national unity government. Others wonder how President Sheikh Sharif, a local moderate Islamist and Sharmarke, a typical Diaspora Somali from North America could step out together to neutralise radical groups...more..http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/features/New_Somali_President_guaranteed_nightmares_80869.shtml
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