The New Somalia: A Grimly Familiar Rerun
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 20 — Fierce mortar attacks killed at least 15 civilians in Somalia on Tuesday, and for a country that had seemed on the verge of ending 16 years of chaotic violence this is the new status quo.
Nearly every day, government forces and insurgents shell each other across Mogadishu’s already dilapidated neighborhoods, scattering bodies and any remaining traces of hope. Gun prices are soaring and more clans are joining the underground, while an outbreak of cholera sweeps the countryside.
“To tell you the truth, I’m pretty worried,” said Mohammed Ali Mahdi, a top clan elder. When the government came to Mogadishu, “I felt we were going the right way. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore and soon it’s going to be too late.”
It is hard to believe, but Somalia is actually becoming a more violent and chaotic place. That is not how it was supposed to be. Nearly two months ago, an internationally-supported transitional government ousted the Islamist forces and steamed into Mogadishu, the capital, with great expectations. But confidence in the government — never very high — is rapidly bleeding away.
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