Djibouti warns UN of disintegration of war-torn Somalia

Djibouti itself is hardly a shining example of African development. Unemployment runs at forty to fifty per cent and Guelleh depends upon the presence of a large U.S. base (Camp Le Monnier) and the port of Djibouti for what economic development there is since the interior of the country has a harsh climate making it difficult for those in agriculture to make a living.
Guelleh is certainly correct about Somalia. It is hard to see how the UN is going to be able to do very much however. The only real solution it seems to me is to actually recognize and negotiate with radical Islamists. The present conflict is a result of refusing to do so when there was an Islamist group in power earlier. Now the provisional government as Guelleh notes controls only a few blocks in Mogadishu. Trying to prop up that government with money and supplies is throwing good money after bad in my opinion. Just because a government espouses values we dislike does not mean that agreements might not be made that keep the government from threatening our basic interests. This is from this site.


Djibouti warns UN of "disintegration" of war-torn Somalia
New York - Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh warned Wednesday that Somalia's Western-backed transitional government may not survive the intensified conflict with armed insurgents.
Guelleh appeared before the United Nations Security Council in New York to plead for action, saying he called for help in October 2008 and could deliver the same speech again now 'given the frozen nature and persistence of the problems facing the region then and today.'
......
Guelleh said the transitional government controls only a few blocks in the capital Mogadishu with the help of the UN mission and is 'fast shrinking' under the advance of insurgents throughout the country.
..... The government has become 'irrelevant and inconsequential,' he said.
Guelleh said the collapse of Somalia will affect the Horn of Africa. Other problems include the persistent conflict between Eritrea and its neighbours, including Djibouti.
He charged that Eritrea has continued its aggressive stance against Djibouti since the military clashes between the two countries in 2008.

This African hot spots the focus of Security Council meeting

 Camp Lemonier, Africa