Islamist Rebel Threat Pressures Somalia's Neighbors

If there was any doubt as to the character of the state that threatens to emerge in Somalia should Islamist rebels overthrow its embattled government, it was dispelled Monday when a militia court sentenced four men accused of stealing three mobile phones and two AK-47s to the amputation of their right hand and left leg. The sentence, whose execution was postponed after the al Shabaab court decided the hot weather might cause the four men to bleed to death, were condemned as "cruel, inhuman and degrading" by Amnesty International. The incident highlighted both the kind of neighbor Kenya and Ethiopia might soon face, and the question of whether either country should intervene to prevent such a calamity.
Pressure to do just that increased Monday when Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed declared a state of emergency and African Union President Jean Ping backed calls for armed intervention, saying the Somali government "has the right to seek support from A.U. members states and the larger international community." (Photos: The Pirates of Somalia.)
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga met his Somali counterpart, Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to discuss the seven-week onslaught by the Islamists that has killed hundreds, including several senior government figures, and displaced more than 100,000 - adding to the millions of Somalis already living as refugees and dependent on food aid. After the meeting, Omar said: "In this critical time of our history, I think you might help. We are dealing with a threat that can engulf the entire region. Our security forces need military assistance and we hope the world [will] do its part very urgently."
Odinga agreed the situation in Somalia was "really threatening" and needed "urgent international attention." If Mogadishu falls, the consequences will be very grieving," he said. He also appeared to refer obliquely to al Shabaab threats to attack Nairobi, saying, "Kenya has been affected by this obvious terror." Like Ethiopia, however, he stopped short of publicly committing troops. Reports from Somalia's western border with Ethiopia claimed Ethiopian troops had entered Somalia Monday, despite a statement from Addis Ababa that it would not enter the country without an international mandate. Ethiopia invaded Somalia in late 2006 to topple a previous Islamist government. ..more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090623/wl_time/08599190647700