The violent and unstable situation in Somalia was the subject of a U.S. congressional hearing on Thursday. Testimony by officials from Somalia, the United Nations and the African Union, and experts came as the Obama administration confirmed it has decided to bolster Somalia's embattled Transitional Federal Government against Islamist forces.With each day bringing further deterioration in Somalia, including among other things the recent bomb attack that killed the Somali transitional government security minister, Thursday's hearing was timely.
Coinciding with the hearing, the State Department confirmed that the U.S. is providing urgent shipments of weapons and ammunition to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, the TFG, to help it avoid a complete takeover by Islamist rebels the U.S. suspects has ties to al-Qaida.
Ted Dagne, African Affairs Specialist with the Congressional Research Service, predicted that violence is likely to increase in coming months as the Islamist group al-Shabaab, backed by foreign fighters, attempts to oust the transitional government. "The primary objective of this offensive is to force the collapse of the TFG (Transitional Federal Government), and to force AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia) to leave Somalia," he said.
Al-Shabaab has taken over much of Mogadishu and southern Somalia, and is on a U.S. government list of international terrorist groups.
Dagne says highly de-centralized and mobile al-Shabaab forces threaten the Transitional Federal Government, and noted that African Union forces are constrained because they are not authorized to take offensive action. He said al-Shabaab is supported by more than 400 foreign fighters, and is funded by al-Qaida and certain foreign governments.
Peter Pham, Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Political Science and Africana Studies at James Madison University, says conditions in Somalia threaten security and stability of the Horn of Africa:
"Even without toppling the TFG, al-Shabaab has already achieved a major objective by securing a territorial base from which like-minded militants and terrorists can carry out attacks elsewhere, especially against targets in the Arabian Peninsula as well as participating in the current violence against Somalis," he said.
Representative Donald Payne, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, said further violence can be avoided only if Somalis from all three regions of the country come together: "As we gather today many Somalis continue to be displaced, maimed and killed. The dream and aspirations of millions of Somalis are on hold or crushed," he said...more..http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-06-26-voa2.cfm
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Al Shabab Threat Clouds the Horn of Africa
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