Somalia: Too Dangerous For Peacekeepers

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July 6, 2007: Government calls for a full force of 20,000 peacekeepers are being resisted by the African Union and the UN. Neither organization wants to put troops into the middle of the interminable clan warfare. The government has been told to pacify unruly elements before peacekeepers are sent in, but the government insists it needs peacekeepers to do this. Somalia has been in this unruly state for centuries.

July 3, 2007: Clan based gangs continue to attack government, Ethiopian and EU troops. The attacks are mostly at night, or via roadside bombs. The attacks are not having much effect, except that they are hindering aid efforts. Some NGOs have had to shut down operations temporarily when the local violence (from clan disputes or banditry) made it too dangerous. The roadside bombs are poorly made and used, and are not inflicting many casualties.

July 1, 2007: A South Korean cargo ship was seized by pirates off the coast. This makes five ships being held by pirates. It usually takes about a month for ransom to be negotiated and paid. So far this year, there have been fifteen pirate attacks, compared to ten for all of last year.

June 30, 2007: In the southwest, clan fighting (over water) left seven dead and many more wounded.

 

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