April 27, 2007

Somaliland & Somalia Politics: International relations and defense

There are numerous armed groups and militias in Somalia

All of Somalia's neighbors, as well as Sudan, Egypt and Libya, have been involved in attempts to reconcile the Somali factions. Ethiopia has also sent troops to southern regions in pursuit of militia from Al-Itihaad, an ostensibly Islamist grouping blamed in Addis Ababa for terrorist attacks within Ethiopia. Ethiopian government forces crossed into Somalia several times in the late 1990s, and invaded the country to help to restore the interim government to power in December 2006. These incursions received the implicit support of the international community following the terrorist attacks in September 2001 on the US, as Al-Itihaad was suspected of supporting the chief suspect, Osama bin Laden, and al-Qaida. Somalia is recognized by the international community, although, given the difficulty in negotiating a reconciliation, some observers have begun questioning whether new alternatives should be considered, such as the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.

Only Somaliland has an identifiable national armed force, although Mr. Yusuf's interim government has suggested a new, 30,000-strong Somali security service, to be made up of the numerous armed militia allied to clan-based political groups. The UN's arms embargo, imposed in 1992 but frequently broken, was partially lifted in December 2006, enabling peacekeepers to be supplied with military equipment. No current data on troops and armed groups are available at present.

Source: THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT