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Somali president resigns after failing to bring peace
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 29 - 12 - 2008


Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed resigned
amid an internal power struggle Monday after failing to bring peace
to the Horn of Africa nation, which has been wracked by conflict for
the past 17 years, according to dpa.
"Today I resign the post that you elected me to on October 14,
2004," Yusuf told lawmakers in Baidoa, the seat of the Somali
parliament.
"I stated at that time that there were three options ... I will
overcome the crises, continue the post until my death or resign if I
can't continue."
Yusuf said that the parliamentary speaker would act as president
until a new election could be organized.
While the president did not link his resignation to the recent
political turmoil, has position was weakened when parliament in mid-
December refused to back his decision to fire Prime Minister Nur
Hassan Hussein.
Nonetheless, Yusuf pushed on and appointed a new prime minister,
who himself resigned a few days later.
The move brought widespread condemnation for Yusuf. He was branded
an obstacle to peace and regional governments imposed sanctions on
him.
Hussein accused Yusuf of trying to derail the UN-sponsored peace
process between the Transitional Federal Government and opposition
group the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS).
The UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah,
praised Yusuf for his "patriotic and courageous" decision and called
up on Somalis to put their differences aside to bring about peace.
"I invite them (the Somali people) to take this opportunity to
rise above their differences," he said in a statement. "It's time is
for unity and solidarity."
However, unity is looking extremely unlikely. Islamist insurgents
have taken advantage of the political infighting to advance to the
edge of Mogadishu..
Somalia has been embroiled in chaos ever since the 1991 ouster of
dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
The crisis deepened when Ethiopian forces invaded two years ago to
help kick out a hardline Islamist regime, sparking a bloody
insurgency that has killed over 10,000 civilians.
The resignation comes as Ethiopia prepares to pull its troops out
of Somalia. Main insurgent group al-Shabaab has refused to take part
in the peace process and there are fears that it will overrun Somalia
completely when the Ethiopians leave.
The insurgent group has been implementing strict Islamic law as it
takes over towns, and many are concerned of a radicalization of the
population should it gain complete control.
The US says that al-Shabaab has close links to al-Qaeda.
Only ramshackle government forces and an undermanned African Union
force of around 3,000 troops and stand between al-Shabaab and control
of Somalia.
The AU is desperately trying to scrape up more troops to send in.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has rejected calls to send in a
peacekeeping mission, saying there is "no peace to keep."
However, the insurgents are far from united and analyst have been
warning that Ethiopia's departure could lead to a splintering of the
groups.
This seems to be taking place already. A relatively new Islamist
group, Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca, fought al-Shabaab on Sunday and claimed
to have killed around ten of its fighters.
The group says it opposes al-Shabaab's hardline policies and has
declared war because al-Shabaab killed religious leaders and
desecrated graves.


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