Horn of Africa countries struggle to end war and initiate political stability, writes Gamal Nkrumah Baidoa on the brink Somalia's president barely survived an assassination attempt this week, casting a long shadow of doubt on the Somali peace process Somalia must face up to its past. Bashing each other was traditionally a favourite pastime of Somali warlords, but today as the country ostensibly inches closer towards a more stable state, the wicked ways of the past ought to be brought to an abrupt end. Disquieting events this week augur ill for the war-torn country. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, based in the central Somali city of Baidoa, a city 200 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, received another severe blow. Somali President Abdullah Youssef barely survived an assassination attempt Monday. "The attack was a car bomb against me," the visibly shaken president told reporters in Baidoa. He lost a younger brother in the attack that also claimed the lives of at least 11, including a Ugandan security officer. The TFG's main rival, the Islamic Courts, with their headquarters in Mogadishu, were quick to condemn the attack on the Somali president. The Somali president was about to leave the Somali parliament when the attack took place. Opinion is divided among members of the 275-strong parliament. Many Somali MPs are sympathetic to the Islamic Courts cause. However, the majority still support the TFG. Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, regarded as the most influential secularist leader, survived a no-confidence vote last month. The motion to impeach the Somali prime minister needed 138 votes to pass, but received 126. It was a narrow escape. However, the Islamic Courts do not constitute the only danger to the Somali transitional government. Powerful warlords also constitute a grave threat to the TFG. Last week, Mohamed Ibrahim Habsade -- the warlord who controls Baidoa and its environs -- announced that his militiamen would forcibly expel members of the TFG from Baidoa. He urged them to withdraw voluntarily. "The Somali government is very concerned," Somali Ambassador to Egypt Abdullah Hassan Mahmoud told Al-Ahram Weekly. "We believe there could be further attacks," he added. "This is why we insist on the deployment of peace- keepers from African and Islamic nations," Ambassador Mahmoud explained. However, militant Islamist figures like Sheikh Hassan Dhaher Aweis, head of the self-styled Somali Supreme Islamic Courts Council -- the new and somewhat verbose name for the Islamic Courts Union -- warned that the attack was proof of the government's weakness and vulnerability. Another Islamic Courts leader, Sheikh Sherif Ahmed, said the attack was most likely an Ethiopian plot to justify its military presence. The Ethiopian ambassador to Egypt vehemently denied the charge. "This is ridiculous," Ibrahim Idris told the Weekly. Ambassador Idris said Ethiopia was deeply concerned about developments in Somalia, including the latest assassination attempt. "The TFG should be supported and efforts to destabilise Somalia will benefit no one." He explained that Ethiopia is only interested in peace and stability for its neighbour Somalia. "This act is intended to wreak havoc and bring more instability not only to Somalia and its fledgling Transitional Federal Institutions, but also to the entire region of the Horn of Africa," read an official Ethiopian Foreign Ministry statement. The Islamic Courts leaders have persistently warned that Ethiopia is propping up the TFG. Aweis says that without Ethiopian backing, the Somali government will most certainly fall. Ethiopia's rival Eritrea, on the other hand, is regarded as a strong supporter of the Islamic Courts. Neighbouring Djibouti and Kenya are suspicious of the Islamic Courts. The United States has a huge anti-terrorist task force based in Djibouti.
