In recent weeks the news from East Africa has concentrated on the famine centred on Somalia. Largely overlooked has been the news that at last, after several years of unfruitful peacekeeping efforts, the African Union peace-keeping force comprised mainly of Ugandan and Rwandan soldiers has started to gain some headway against the various rebel forces who had been besieging Mogadishu and making the country ungovernable.
The al-Shabaab Islamist rebels pulled out of Mogadishu over the weekend. Their spokesman claims the withdrawal has been “for tactical purposes”, but the reality is that the rebels have been losing ground for some time to the better-equipped international forces. There is now some hope that the weak Somali government can begin to actually govern, and that Aid agencies can reach some of the famine-affected areas of the country where access was previously prevented by rebels.
The rebels’ retreat has given the country a tiny glimmer of hope amidst the despair of war and famine. However, if the rebels are ultimately defeated and insecurity ceases, the country still has a very long way to go to achieve prosperity. The Transitional Government of Somalia has been propped up by foreign aid and is said to be corrupt and riven with factions and disagreements.