During his visit to Cairo, Somalia's head of state discussed with President Mubarak ways of containing potential renewed unrest in East Africa, writes Gamal Nkrumah President Hosni Mubarak met with his Somali counterpart Sheikh Sherif Ahmed in Cairo this week to discuss ways of boosting bilateral relations in all fields -- economic, political and social. The three-day visit by the Somali president comes at a time when Somalia is in dire need of international political support, and economic and humanitarian assistance, as the intensification of fighting in the country is taking its toll on the longsuffering Somali people. As head of the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia, Sheikh Sherif Ahmed is determined to contain the political shocks his country has suffered while finding a way of boarding the emerging markets economic juggernaut. The political predicament the Somali president finds himself in is that his vision of reform cannot take hold before the implementation of a broader programme of national reconciliation. However, there are no guarantees that he can get the necessary policies past the more militant elements among his allies in the TNG. The violent militancy of the Somali armed opposition groups, such as the Mujahideen Youth Movement, better known as Al-Shabab (Youth), is alienating traditional allies of Somalia, such as Egypt that had "longstanding and strong fraternal ties" as the Somali president aptly put it in Cairo. Several Somali factions regard Egypt as one of the most important patrons of the Somali peace and reconciliation process. Cairo has long provided logistical support, food aid and medical assistance to Somalia. Egypt is also aware that Somalia needs assistance on a scale that Egypt itself can't afford to provide. Yet Egypt is willing to do its best. The Somali president complained bitterly that the international community is "doing too little" to help his country. "The Kampala bombings is evidence that the anti-government forces in Somalia are now spreading mayhem to other African countries, as we warned before," Sheikh Sherif Ahmed reiterated in Cairo. Egypt's well-heeled army of peacekeepers may yet find itself called to action in Somalia. The Somali president welcomed any assistance -- military or otherwise -- that Egypt could provide. He reminded his audience in Egypt that Al-Shabab "bombed Uganda because of its role in AMISOM (the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia). Uganda provides the bulk of AMISOM peacekeepers. The Somali president, however, insisted that the Kampala bombings "strengthened international resolve to defeat the insurgents and their foreign fighters." He also called for greater regional cooperation to contain the terrorist threat, and said he envisioned a prominent role for Egypt. "Egypt's support in the battle against terrorism is invaluable." In the past two months, militant Islamists in Somalia have not only stepped up their terrorist attacks in neighbouring countries such as Uganda, but have also redoubled their efforts to tighten their stranglehold on Somalia. This time, the infighting involves groups with less to lose and little incentive to play by the established rules. Somalia is no stranger to political violence, but the current conflict is qualitatively different. An increasingly assertive militant Islamist force, enriched by a succession of military victories, is challenging traditional rulers. The process they started has gained its own momentum. Members of the judicial system in Somalia, members of parliament and the even certain ministerial portfolio holders have been co-opted by militant Islamists. Egypt has expressed its preparedness to participate in any regional, continental or international initiative to resolve the Somali political impasse. Egyptian diplomats, humanitarian assistance personnel and technical experts barely flinch at the violence present in the streets of the Somali capital Mogadishu. "Egyptians resident in Somalia today are ready to take political upheaval in their stride." The Somali president also attended a meeting with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and representatives of the 22 member states of the pan-Arab organisation. The main request put forward by Sheikh Sherif Ahmed was for financial support for the TNG. "We need about $10 million every month," he told Arab officials during a long meeting held at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League Sunday evening. This money, he explained, is necessary to pay the overdue salaries of some 10,000 army officers, 7,000 police officers and members of the Somali parliament. Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossam Zaki reiterated Egypt's willingness to "assist in the effort to realise peace and political stability in Somalia and the entire Horn of Africa region." According to Egyptian diplomats and academicians, Egypt is capable of providing expertise and technical training to cadres of young Somalis who have suffered from a lack of proper education because of the Somali civil war that erupted in 1991 following the death of former Somali military ruler Siad Barre. Egypt receives scores of Somali cadres each year, including 15 Somali diplomatic cadres. The Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa is one of the most instrumental of Egypt's organisations to offer Somalia 40 annual scholarships to promising Somali students. Egypt also has extensive experience in certain areas of Somalia not under the authority of the TNG, including self-styled independent Somaliland in the northwest part of the country and the autonomous region of Puntland in the northeast. Last but not least, President Mubarak and his Somali counterpart discussed the forthcoming African Union summit in Uganda scheduled to take place at the end of the month. The two leaders pledged to coordinate their positions concerning a wide range of political questions in the Horn of Africa, and vis- à-vis the international fight against terrorism. In this light, the visit to Cairo was a diplomatic triumph for the Somali president.
