Fading Hopes

For a while there, things were almost starting to look up in Somalia. In what seemed to be the most serious attempt at re-establishing order in 15 years, a Transitional Federal Government arrived in Mogadishu with the backing of Ethiopian and African Union forces. Could they stamp their authority on the country, and create a stable, working administration?

No. Thousands are now fleeing Mogadishu, after the recent violence got even worse over the last few days. It's mostly Ethiopian troops trying to put down Islamic rebels loyal to the Taliban-esque regime they helped overthrow in December. The Ethiopians were supposed to have left Somalia to let African Union forces keep the peace, but that plan's been shattered by the continued strength of the Islamic fighters. Now Ethiopian forces are flooding back into Mogadishu, as the refugees flood out. In just a couple of weeks, the best chance of stability in 15 years has turned into the worst fighting in 15 years. Peace in Somalia has suddenly never seemed so remote.