Somalia: March 22, 2005

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East African countries have agreed to send 6,800 peacekeepers to Somalia. The troops will come from Uganda and Sudan, rather than nations bordering Somalia (like Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti). That was unpopular with many Somalis, for fear that Somalia territory might end up annexed. Peacekeepers are expected to face a tense situation, with some heavily armed clans opposed to the new government. Some fighting is expected. Because of that, the government is moving, from Kenya, to the central Somali towns of Baidoa and Jowhar. The old capital, Mogadishu, is expected to be a battleground, especially because several major warlords operate there, and some of them are hostile to the new government.