SOMALIA: U.S. Secretly Backing Warlords
Emily Wax and Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post write:Â Â
More than a decade after U.S. troops withdrew from Somalia following a disastrous military intervention, officials of Somalia’s interim government and some U.S. analysts of Africa policy say the United States has returned to the African country, secretly supporting secular warlords who have been waging fierce battles against Islamic groups for control of the capital, Mogadishu. Â
The Post quoted Cali Geedi, the Somali Prime Minister as saying:Â Â
We would prefer that the U.S. work with the transitional government and not with criminals. This is a dangerous game. Somalia is not a stable place and we want the U.S. in Somalia. But in a more constructive way. Clearly we have a common objective to stabilize Somalia, but the U.S. is using the wrong channels.Â
I agree with the Somalia Prime Minister that the United States is using the wrong political and diplomatic strategies for achieving its goals in the region and in Somalia in particular. The United States must work with the Somali Transitional Federal Government and President Cabdullahi Yuusf Axmed.
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