UN Warns of Ties Between Lawless Groups in Somalia and Yemen,Hard Line Insurgent Group Vows to Increase Attacks on Somali Government

For years, criminals have used ports in the Arab world's poorest country, Yemen, as staging areas for trafficking humans, drugs, and weapons. There are growing fears that criminal groups in Yemen and pirate gangs in Somalia are moving closer together, further complicating international efforts to stabilize the region. In a report released last December, the U.N. group tasked with monitoring the 1992 arms embargo on Somalia included a paragraph on piracy, alluding to the growing financial ties between Somali pirates and criminal entrepreneurs in Yemen. The U.N. report said the NATO Shipping Center had identified five ports along the Yemeni coast, which were serving as re-supply stations for mother ships belonging to Somali pirates. Mother ships are usually hijacked fishing trawlers or merchant vessels, used to tow the speedboats needed to attack slow-moving ships sailing in open waters. more..http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-07-voa47.cfm
Hard Line Insurgent Group Vows to Increase Attacks on Somali Government
increase attacks on the new Somali government after one of its commanders escaped an assassination attempt. The attack on the insurgent leader's vehicle in the capital, Mogadishu left at least two people dead and over 50 others wounded. Al-Shabaab has blamed the Islamic Court Union allied to the new government for the assassination attempt. But the Islamic Court Union sharply denied the accusation.
Somali political analyst Ali Abdullahi told VOA that the new government is too weak to prevent any more attacks.
"With the arrival of last couple of days of Dahir Aweys into Mogadishu, it seems that there is a lot of troop buildup by both sides on the side of the government and also on the side of the Islamists and very soon there are going to be clashes as you have seen what has happened today," Abdullahi said.
He said violent clashes between the two Islamic groups would be rampant in the coming days.
"It seems that this (clashes) will increase as the intensity increases from the side of al-Shabaab because al-Shabaab thinks that the current government does not represent them. And not only al-Shabaab, but also other opposition, Dahir Aweys is part of it and you also have other factions who are trying to resist the government," he said.
Abdullahi said most of the opposition hard line Islamic groups do not want to recognize the authority of the new Somali government.
"So, it is a revisit to what happened to the government of Abdullahi Yusuf. And it would take time for it to settle down, but things are on high alert in Mogadishu," Abdullahi said.
more..http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-05-08-voa2.cfm