Two events, one just passed, one pending, reveals the depths of schisms in Somalia.
The first of these is the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somali territory. Normally outside troops only exacerbate conflicts in Africa, and Ethiopia's presence has been a mixed blessing to say the least. Nonetheless, the departure of the Ethiopian military has revealed the deep fissures among Islamicists contending for control.
The second event is scheduled to take place in the next few weeks and will certainly reflect the divisions exposed from the Ethiopian withdrawal. The Somali parliament, admittedly not the most formidable body, is scheduled to elect a new president and establish a new government. I’m not seeing much cause to believe that this attempt to impose control by the central government will work any better than past attempts, but how the parliament overcomes the manifest divisions within Somali politics might at least tell us just how far removed from something resembling process the country really is.
