South African troops to Somalia?
An unexpected twist to the AU involvement in Somalia:
Quote:
The African Union’s (AU) mission in Somalia could soon receive a boost, with reports suggesting South Africa may send troops to the troubled country. Themba Maseko, a spokesperson for the South African cabinet said that ministers would be meeting on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of troops from the South African Defence Force joining the mission in Somalia, to supplement the 5,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi that are currently in Mogadishu giving support to the fragile interim government there.
“It appears President Zuma will definitely give a nod to the AU's request for South African military support. The South African government will definitely seize the opportunity to show the continent that they are the big brothers,” said a government source quoted by the Guardian.
Not much more on the link:http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensec...-08-16%2013:27
My recollection was that the SANDF do not have the capability to deploy much beyond a battalion group; perhaps our RSA members can add some facts?
What about Sudanese ones...
Quote:
Sudan to renew efforts to bring peace in Somalia
The Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed wrapped up a three-day visit to Khartoum where he had arrived on Monday for talks with President Omer Al-Bashir on Sudan’s efforts to reconcile the Islamist insurgents with the government.
"We need to Sudan’s important role to resolve the Somali crisis and the coming days will witness new developments and a Sudanese move to reunite the Somali parties and support the central government and the peaceful transfer of power," said President Sheikh Sharif before to leave Khartoum today.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article36001
The roads of peace are like those of god to me: incomprehensible...
In Somali Civil War, Both Sides Embrace Pirates
Well, we may need to combine the "piracy" and "not piracy" Somalia threads...
In Somali Civil War, Both Sides Embrace Pirates
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
New York Times
Published: September 1, 2010
Quote:
HOBYO, Somalia — Ismail Haji Noor, a local government official, recently arrived in this notorious pirate den with a simple message: we need your help.
With the Shabab militant group sweeping across Somalia and the American-backed central government teetering on life support, Mr. Noor stood on a beach flanked by dozens of pirate gunmen, two hijacked ships over his shoulder, and announced, “From now on we’ll be working together.”
He hugged several well-known pirate bosses and called them “brother” and later explained that while he saw the pirates as criminals and eventually wanted to rehabilitate them, right now the Shabab were a much graver threat.
“Squished between the two, we have to become friends with the pirates,” Mr. Noor said. “Actually, this is a great opportunity.”
For years, Somalia’s heavily armed pirate gangs seemed content to rob and hijack on the high seas and not get sucked into the messy civil war on land. Now, that may be changing, and the pirates are taking sides — both sides....
UN envoy calls for thousands more troops to battle Somali militants
UN envoy calls for thousands more troops to battle Somali militants
Quote:
Somalia may need to triple its peacekeeping troops to 20,000 in the coming months to combat a surging threat by militants, a U.N. official said.
"The threat level in Mogadishu and in southern-central Somalia has actually increased," Augustine Mahiga told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.
Mahiga said he is concerned about the security in the country and its impact in the region.
"A scaled up assistance from the international community is needed to make a difference," said Mahiga, the special envoy to Somalia.
How Much Turf Does the Somali Government Really Control?
A good, short FP Blog article, with a map, which gives context to the reporting, repeats the fact external actors train Somalis for the government and they defect:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...ntrol?page=0,0
Quote:
Some 9,000 troops have been trained and armed to help fortify the government, but desertion rates are astronomical. Perhaps no more than 1,000 soldiers -- or fewer -- remain. AMISOM peacekeepers, by contrast, number about 7,000.