CONFLICT IN SOMALIA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CONFLICT IN SOMALIA - Essay Example ant disagreement based on political and religious agendas, Somali has been unable to shake itself out of the crisis, which was exacerbated by the declaration of Somalia as a failed State in 1991 by its failing and shaking Transitional government headed by moderate Islamist Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad (Chopra, 1998). Somali conflict has also been affected by the actions of regional and international powers that have worsen it instead of resolving the issue on most occasions. But how long will this conflict continue? Who are the core conflict parties? Bariagaber (2006, pp. 66) pointed out that Somalia had been divided along ethnic lines, which had segmented the country into several clans or tribal divisions. Couldn’t the issue of embracing different ideologies by different clans be enough to keep Somali people apart and make peaceful co-existence impossible? Each of the clans has its form of Islamic religion being practiced by its people: from the moderate Islam to the fanatical and more dangerous ones; even some of the Muslim groups in Somalia have been put on United States’ terrorist list because of their connection with Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qeada Organization. Considering the enormity of the conflict in Somalia, it is apt to investigate what are the internal-subgroups and what constituencies do they depend on. Apart from internal segregation due to tribal affiliations, it has been discovered that some internal-subgroups do exist; which are directly linked with religious ideologies. The main radical sub-group is called Al-Shabab, an extremist group that was carved out by the remaining supporters of Union of Islamic Courts. The constituencies that Al-Shabab controls include the South and Central Somalia, which it rules with iron-hand imposing Sharia on the Somali people in these places. There is another notorious sub-group named Hisbul-Islam that was created shortly after the moderate Islamist government was formed: an action some former members of Union of