AU discusses Somalia peace force
The African Union and western diplomats are meeting to discuss sending peacekeepers to Somalia, following recent advances by an Islamic militia.
The Islamists, who control the capital Mogadishu, fiercely oppose the idea and last week held large protests.
The only place safe enough for peacekeepers would be Baidoa, where the interim government is based.
Before any peacekeepers were deployed, the UN would have to lift it arms embargo, reports the AP news agency.
The government initially welcomed the Islamists’ victory against warlords but the peacekeeper issue has divided them.
bbc.co.uk
Mogadishu’s modest Islamic leader
It was the abduction of one of his 12-year-old pupils that prompted Somali schoolteacher Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to take a stand against the warlords who have ruled the capital, Mogadishu for the last 15 years.
Gee, he doesn’t sound like a rabid ‘Islamist’ al Qaeda dude to me…