Jacaylbaro Posted May 5, 2009 Just as an international conference promises more peacekeepers, an Islamist leader returns to Mogadishu to drive them out. The return of Sheikh Hassan Dahir 'Aweys' to Mogadishu on 23 April may prove extremely dangerous for the shaky coalition government under Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (AC Vol 50 No 4). Although a reconciliation between the two men might have been possible, it seems the personal and political rivalries run too deep. Hassan Aweys publicly refused to meet representatives of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) which Sheikh Sharif leads. Aweys ruled out any cooperation as long as there were foreign troops in Somalia, referring to the peacekeepers of the African Union Mission to Somalia (Amisom). That will be a continuing sticking point as the grossly under-equipped Amisom is likely to get United Nations' reinforcements in the coming months, much to the dismay of Aweys. Ethiopian troops withdrew in February, following last year's Djibouti Agreement, which also led to the replacement of the Puntland warlord President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed by the self-styled 'moderate Islamist' Sharif Sheikh. Sharif has also endorsed the introduction of Sharia in Somalia and this has now been passed by Parliament. Aweys still rails against the presence of Amisom troops. On arriving in Mogadishu, he referred to Amisom as 'bacteria' in Somalia's body politic. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
