INTERVIEW-Somalia risks being "new Afghanistan"-EU aid head

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Somalia will become "the new Afghanistan" unless Western nations give its U.N.-backed government the necessary tools to prevent al Qaeda from getting a foothold in Africa, the EU's humanitarian chief said on Wednesday.
President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's fragile administration is facing a campaign by Islamist insurgents who killed at least 12 people and wounded 17 others on Wednesday during an attack on African Union peacekeepers in the capital, Mogadishu. [ID:nLN012244]
The Shabaab insurgents, who have links to al Qaeda, also hit the AU's main military base in Mogadishu with twin suicide car bombs last Thursday, killing 17 peacekeepers.
"We are in a very, very difficult situation. But we cannot leave Somalia to the extremists. There is an al Qaeda influence in Somalia ... which is growing, seeking a foothold and we have to stop them somewhere," European Union Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karel De Gucht told Reuters after meeting with U.N. diplomats and officials.
"If we let this happen, then the next question is what is the next country. We have to be resilient and to stand firm. It is extremely difficult, risky, but we have no choice.
"They (al Qaeda) are looking for strongholds ... in failed states. That's what happened in Afghanistan. The government did a deal with the Taliban and we cannot let that happen or we will have a new Afghanistan," De Gucht added.
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Fighting has killed more than 18,000 Somalis since the start of 2007 and driven 1.5 million from their homes.
Peacekeepers should be given more resources to push back the insurgents, but more important, De Gucht said, Western nations must invest more money to help the government "stand on their own feet" and provide basic public services such as sanitation and healthcare.
"The EU Commission has decided to renew financing up to 60 million euros (for peacekeeping missions) and we are working in a very difficult environment, but security is paramount," De Gucht said.
"The government needs more aid from the international community to be able to outreach outside of Mogadishu to deliver basic social services and own resources to show the people that they have credibility and not to turn to the insurgents." (Editing by Peter Cooney) news ## for search indexer, do not remove -->