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Keep someone else’s peace

Just as an international conference promises more peacekeepers, an Islamist leader returns to Mogadishu to drive them out

The return of Sheikh Hassan Dahir 'Aweys' to Mogadishu on 23 April may prove extremely dangerous for the shaky coalition government under Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (AC Vol 50 No 4). Although a reconciliation between the two men might have been possible, it seems the personal and political rivalries run too deep. Hassan Aweys publicly refused to meet representatives of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) which Sheikh Sharif leads. Aweys ruled out any cooperation as long as there were foreign troops in Somalia, referring to the peacekeepers of the African Union Mission to Somalia (Amisom). That will be a continuing sticking point as the grossly under-equipped Amisom is likely to get United Nations' reinforcements in the coming months, much to the dismay of Aweys....

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Free article preview

Keep someone else’s peace

Just as an international conference promises more peacekeepers, an Islamist leader returns to Mogadishu to drive them out

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