Q&A: Somalia’s state of emergency.the latest news on al-Shabaab in lawless Somalia

Somalia’s president has declared a state of emergency following weeks of intense fighting between Islamic militants and pro-government forces. Over the weekend, the government requested help stabilizing the nation from troops in neighboring countries.
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has blamed al-Shabaab, a radical Islamist group with ties to al-Qaeda, for the surge in violence. Control over the failed state is split between many groups.
join Worldfocus to discuss the spiraling crisis in Somalia.

Al-Shabaab militiamen in Somalia. Photo: IRIN

Worldfocus: What are the two sides embroiled in the current fighting, and how much of Somalia is currently controlled by either side?
Ambassador David Shinn: There may actually be more than two sides in this struggle. There is the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, which is the government recognized by the United Nations, African Union and the international community. A moderate Muslim group known as Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a is allied with the TFG.
The primary group opposing the TFG is the extremist al-Shabaab organization, which has links with al-Qaeda and now has the support of several hundred foreign jihadis. A Somali organization known as Hizbul Islam, led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, is aligned with al-Shabaab. President Ahmed and Sheikh Aweys were partners in 2007, when they controlled much of Somalia under the Union of Islamic Courts.
The TFG controls a small part of the capital of Mogadishu and some of the area along the Ethiopian border. Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam control most of Mogadishu and much of southern and central Somalia. Other jurisdictions such as the Puntland administration control the rest of the country..MORE..http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/06/23/qa-somalias-state-of-emergency/5941/