“‘As we get closer to building a federal state in Somalia, we actually risk it disintegrating,’ the diplomat said.” As rival factions of Islamic supremacists and jihadis battle each other for dominance, nothing seems much less likely than the establishment of a stable federal state.
Tiny Minority of Extremists Update: “Former Islamist warlord elected president of Somali region,” by Drazen Jorgic for Reuters, May 15:
MOGADISHU (Reuters) — A former Islamist warlord was declared president of Somalia’s southern region on Wednesday, something likely to upset the government in Mogadishu as it tries to assert its authority.
Although Ahmed Madobe, leader of powerful Ras Kamboni militia, fought against the al Qaeda-linked militants that tried to seize control of the country, he is not viewed favourably by the central government.
Hours after the constitutional assembly in the volatile Jubaland region elected Madobe president, a rival warlord who is widely seen to be backed by Mogadishu, Barre Hirale, declared himself to be the president.
Madobe and Hirale are backed by rival clans competing for control of the strategically important port city of Kismayu.
“There is a risk that Somalia will be split along clan lines,” said one Western diplomat, who expressed concern that the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab may benefit from any clashes between rival militias.
“As we get closer to building a federal state in Somalia, we actually risk it disintegrating,” the diplomat said.
Madobe was a former governor of Kismayu during an administration that was routed by Ethiopian forces sent into Somalia between 2006-2009 with tacit U.S. backing.
His Ras Kamboni militia has fought alongside Kenyan troops over the past year, flushing al Shabaab out of their strongholds in the south….