Mogadishu, Somalia
Thousands of people fled Mogadishu this week to escape renewed fighting between Islamic insurgents and Ethiopian troops supporting the Somali government. The Ethiopians have been trying to persuade elders from Mogadishu’s main clan, the Hawiye, to support Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, who is not from that clan. Insurgent attacks interrupted that process. Clan rivalries have resumed since the Islamists, who had brought a few months of calm to the capital, were driven out in December. Al Qaida this week called on Muslims to go to Somalia to fight with the Islamists. “All the things which make jihad an individual duty are present in their battle against the Abyssinian occupiers and their apostate lackeys,” al Qaida said, referring to the Ethiopians.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
